Act urgently to ensure all paint lead-free, CAP tells govt

KUALA LUMPUR – The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) has called on the Malaysian government to urgently implement regulations to eliminate lead from paint. 

Its president Mohideen Abdul Kader said lead is a strong poison that harms various systems in the body, especially in young children. Even at low doses, lead can damage children's brain development. 

“Lead exposure can also damage the kidneys, reproductive organs, and the immune system, resulting in anaemia and hypertension,” he said in a statement. “The neurological and behavioural effects of lead are typically irreversible.”

He said lead paint should be banned in consideration of its risks.

The government must avoid becoming complacent on this matter. Since lead has such a profoundly negative effect on children, quick action is required to protect the next generation, he said.

This year CAP will join the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint – a joint programme of the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme – for the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW). The event is held to emphasise the urgent need to protect children’s health by eliminating leaded paint.

“This year’s ILPPW events will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the annual week-long effort to raise the global profile of ongoing lead poisoning dangers, including from lead paint which is still used in Malaysia and most countries across the world,” said Mohideen.

He said it has been 30 years since CAP first made calls to the government to come up with standards for lead in paints. “Till today we still find lead in our paints,” he said.

“The Malaysian Standards Department has recently added lead-free ingredient requirements to their paint standards. These voluntary criteria do not cover all paints on the market,” he added.

The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry had taken some steps towards establishing mandatory standards for lead in paints at the end of 2020. “However, till today there is no news of the progress,” he stressed. 

“We have been working on this issue since 1992, when we found that seven out of nine enamel paints had more than 600ppm of lead. The highest amount of lead found in that study was 11,700ppm.

“In 2019, CAP’s analysis found that 11 out of 17 playground equipment had lead levels over 10,000ppm, which is considered extremely harmful”, said Mohideen. – The Vibes, November 2, 2022