Poison: Lead in paints killing you slowly

For Dr Faridah Hussein Were, a University of Nairobi lecturer, it is a race against time to have paints containing toxic heavy metal, lead, phased out from the country.

The lecturer in the university’s Chemistry Department and a research scientist is emphatic that lead paints should not be on sale in Kenya as they are exposing many children and adults to devastating impact of lead poisoning and yet there are safer, more viable alternatives.

“Many unsuspecting Kenyans are being exposed to lead poisoning since leaded paints are still widely used in our homes, schools, public buildings, toys and furniture. This is a silent crisis that needs immediate action.

Time has now come to phase out leaded paints in Kenya, the same way leaded petrol was phased out in 2005, in order to minimise lead poisoning among Kenyans,” she says.

It is not difficult to appreciate Dr Were’s sense of urgency. Children exposed to lead from leaded paints or other sources suffer brain and nervous system damage resulting in learning difficulties and mental retardation.

“Exposure to even small amounts of lead has been found to significantly weaken intellectual capacities of children, ruining their potential in life,” says Dr Ahmed Kalebi, CEO of Lancet Group of Laboratories, which has carried out many lab tests on Kenyans affected by lead poisoning.

Exposure to lead also causes stunted physical growth in children, irritability, sluggishness and fatigue, loss of appetite and weight. When exposure is severe, it leads to death.

In adults, exposure results in high blood pressure, kidney complications, joint and muscle pain, decline in mental functioning, memory loss and mood disorders.

It also causes reproductive disorders such as reduced sperm count or abnormal sperms as well as miscarriages and premature births in pregnant women.

“Lead poisoning is especially lethal because it rarely manifests symptoms until dangerous amounts have accumulated in the body and damage has been done,” says Dr Kalebi, who is also an Honorary Lecturer in the University of Nairobi.

A recent collaborative research study by Dr Were at the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute established that many paint manufacturers in the country, including those in informal sectors, add huge amounts of lead to their products. They do so since lead speeds up drying of paint, gives it a glossy and appealing appearance, and resists moisture that causes corrosion. Only two firms among the sampled ones had transitioned to safe, lead-free paints for use in homes.

Another recent study by Ilima, a local NGO, revealed that oil-based decorative paints in Kenya have lead concentrations that are on average 165 times higher than minimum allowable limits in the United States.

The dangers of leaded paints is so significant that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Health Organisation have established the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead in Paint, an initiative seeking the total elimination of leaded paints in all countries by 2020.

Dr Were, who is an Advisory Group Member of the Alliance, believes Kenya can phase out leaded paints sooner than the global deadline owing to the devastating impacts of the heavy metal.

She is currently working closely with local paint manufacturers urging them to voluntarily transition to unleaded paints even as the government finalises on regulations to limit leaded paints. Various consultative workshops with paint manufacturers in the formal sector have yielded commitments to phase out the heavy metal from their products.

Crown Paints Technical Manager, Ravindra Dimri, said the firm has set itself a comprehensive road map to phase out lead and other toxic substances from its products to safeguard its users.

“Currently, we are producing many paint brands that are lead-free especially for home use. In the near future, all our products will be lead free,” he says.

He adds: “ This transitioning to unleaded paints is a bit costly for us but we are absorbing the costs and not passing them on to our consumers. It is our obligation to produce paints that are safe for humans and the environment.”

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) is finalising new regulations that will bar manufacture, importation and sale of paints whose lead content exceeds the safe threshold of 90 parts per million (ppm).

“The new standards are expected to be gazetted by end of this December. A lot of public awareness is also necessary for adequate enforcement,” said Peter Namutala Wanyonyi, Principal Standards Officer at Kebs. He added: “The standard will be further harmonised at the East African Community level to avoid barriers of trade while safeguarding human health and the environment.”

Unep’s Chemicals and Waste Regional Coordinator Prof Abdouraman Bary, said substitutes for lead in paints are readily available, making the global elimination of lead in paint an achievable goal.

“Substitutes for lead in paint are not only safer, but more cost-effective since they are readily available locally. Preventing lead poisoning from paint is entirely preventable but requires commitment from all the stakeholders,” he said.

Lead paints become hazardous when the paint begins to wear out and peel, contaminating the air, soil, water and food with lead dust.

During demolitions and renovations of buildings painted with lead, large quantities of dust containing this toxic are emitted into the air and inhaled by unsuspecting persons.

Lead exposure also occurs during motor vehicle paintworks that involve sanding, stripping of painted surfaces. In this condition, very fine particles of airborne lead are generated that are easily inhaled.

In industrial settings, workers can be exposed during manufacture of lead-based paint when they do not wear appropriate protective gear.