A new study has found that oil paint sold by more than 53% of brands in Ouagadougou contains toxic levels of lead, posing a potential threat to the health of Burkinabés, mainly children. The most harmful paints are usually yellow and red in color. The Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP) and the National Agency for Environmental, Food, Occupational and Health Product Safety (ANSSEAT) have called on manufacturers to eliminate lead emergency lead from their products.
As part of this study, ANSSEAT and LEEP analyzed 45 samples of oil paints from 15 brands sold in Ouagadougou. These are mainly oil paints to be applied with a brush, but also spray paints and dyes. Fifty-three percent (53%) of the brands sampled sold one or more paints containing lead levels higher than those recommended by theWorld Health Organization. Some paints contained more than 1,000 times the recommended limit. Some brands have claimed their paints are “lead-free” or “non-toxic” when they actually contain dangerous levels of lead.
Exposure to lead has serious adverse health effects, particularly in children. She causes permanent damage to their developing brains, which harms their academic performance and future potential. Later in life, exposure to lead would causehypertension and heart disease. Lead poisoning can be asymptomatic or manifest with mild symptoms such as headache, fatigue, stomach upset, or nausea, making it easy to go unnoticed. Lead poisoning (or lead-related illness) from paint and other sources is estimated to affect approximately 9 million children in Burkina Fasowhich costs the country $1.38 billion in loss of income each year (source: UNICEF, & Pure Earth. (2020), Attina & Trasande (2013)).
In June 2024, ANSSEAT organized a meeting of key stakeholders to discuss the issue and define clear actions to eliminate lead paint in Burkina Faso. The results of the study have since been shared with the industry, and LEEP is supporting several major brands to help them eliminate lead from their products. ANSSEAT and LEEP plan to conduct a follow-up study to assess whether the brands have reduced lead to safe levels.
Professor Elie Kabré, Director General of ANSSEAT, declared:
“The data from this first study provide clear evidence of the importance of this question. We urge paint manufacturers and importers in Burkina Faso to immediately remove lead-based ingredients from their paints. LEEP offers free support to manufacturers to help them with this process and ANSSEAT encourages the industry to take advantage of this offer. It is crucial that we take appropriate measures to protect our children and our environment from the devastating effects of lead. This is why in the medium term perspective, after this awareness phase towards manufacturers and importers, ANSSEAT, which already has authorization from the Ministry of Health, will institute paint control in collaboration with the other institutions involved, in particular those of the Ministries in charge of trade and finance through the customs administration, for the use of lead-free paints in Burkina Faso.
From now on, we invite the population to demand, if possible, a certificate attesting to the absence of lead in paints before any purchase”.
Dr Nasser Hassane, Program Manager at LEEP, said:
“We welcome ANSSEAT’s commitment to conducting this important study and look forward to supporting the Burkina Faso government’s efforts to regulate lead content in paints. As more manufacturers around the world adopt lead-free paints, we encourage industry partners in Burkina Faso to take advantage of LEEP’s free support offer. We provide technical assistance to industry partners looking to remove lead from their paint and solve this critical issue together.
Notes :
- For more information, please contact the LEEP team at: [email protected], or +227 96 19 21 22 or +44 7826 411936.
- LEEP is an international NGO that works with policymakers, regulators and industry to end the sale of lead paint. Its mission is to eliminate childhood lead poisoning and improve the health and potential of children worldwide. LEEP is a member of the United Nations Environment Program and theGlobal Alliance to Eliminate Lead PaintWHO. He currently works in more than fourteen countries to the elimination of lead paint. Further information about LEEP is available at: https://leadelimination.org/.
- Here is more information about the study method: In June 2024, ANSSEAT and LEEP purchased 45 cans of solvent-based paint for domestic use from paint and hardware stores in Ouagadougou. Where possible, three colors from each brand were included. Dried samples of the paints were prepared and sent to the Wisconsin Occupational Health Laboratory (WOHL). WOHL is accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) under the EPA’s Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program and participates in the Analytical Proficiency Testing Program for Environmental Lead. WOHL analyzed the samples for total lead content using National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Method 7303. Total lead content was expressed in parts per million (ppm) dry weight. The methodology is described in more detail in Kambarami et al. (2022) et Siddiqui et al. (2023).
By Jean Michel/2007