Much lead content found in spray paint

MANILA, Philippines — Toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition announced yesterday that based on laboratory tests, lead, a hazardous chemical banned in paint manufacturing, is found in five spray paints obtained from Cebu retailers.

“As per test report, all five samples contained lead in excess of 40,000 parts per million (ppm), which is way above the 90 ppm regulatory limit,” the group said, in a statement.

The coalition reported that it purchased last Sept. 26 the five variants of Bad Axe Spray Paint from stores in the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.

The group said each 400 ml can is sold for less than P100 and the label provides no information about the product’s manufacturer and country of manufacture.  It also did not provide information or warning about the paint's lead content.

The coalition said that before the Christmas break, the five samples were submitted for lead content analysis to SGS, a private testing company, along with 26 other samples bought from retail stores in cities in Baliwag, Davao, Makati and Manila and the municipalities of Pateros and San Antonio (Nueva Ecija), as well as from online sellers.

Manny Calonzo, group campaigner, said that results of the confirmatory laboratory tests indicated that lead-containing paints are still offered for sale despite the completion of the phase-out period for such paints.

He said that though most local manufacturers have successfully complied with the phase-out deadline, imported spray paints with undisclosed lead additives can be purchased from certain physical and online stores.

Atty. John Menguito, Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC) managing trustee, said national and local regulatory agencies should take their cue from the results of the investigative work of EcoWaste and take the necessary steps to ensure that the lead paint ban is fully enforced in Cebu.

“We need to keep all Cebuanos, the children in particular, safe from the detrimental effects of lead exposure to human health,” Menguito added.

According to the laboratory test results, all the five paint samples from Cebu, which were manufactured between 2021 to 2023, contained over 40,000 ppm of lead.

The orange yellow Bad Axe Spray Paint contained 45,400 ppm of lead, while the Gongcheng orange yellow, jade green, canary yellow and deep yellow variants had 44,400 ppm, 43,400 ppm, 42,200 and 40,200 ppm, respectively.

As written on its label, Bad Axe Spray Paint is recommended for coating wooden, steel and other metal surfaces of household appliances, equipment, furniture, bicycles and the like, which will make it qualify as a decorative paint for consumer use.

As per DENR Administrative Order 2013-24, or the Chemical Control Order (COO) for lead and lead compounds, decorative paints containing lead above 90 ppm should not be manufactured, imported, distributed or sold after the three-year phase-out period for such paints that ended on Dec. 31, 2016.

The CCO further phased out lead-containing industrial paints following the phase-out deadline on Dec. 31, 2019.

Lead exposure is linked to adverse health effects, including damage to the brain and the central nervous system, slowed growth and development, hearing and speech problems, learning difficulties and behavioral problems, which can cause reduced ability to pay attention, underperformance in school, and lower intelligence quotient.

Citing the World Health Organization, EcoWaste said that there is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects and that lead exposure is preventable.