Filipinos warned vs use of paints with poisonous lead

New decorative household paints may beautify homes but pose danger to health, especially to children, according to ecological watchdog EcoWaste Coalition. Citing a recent global study, the coalition said household paints that contain disturbing levels of lead are still being sold in developing countries despite being already outlawed in Europe since the 1920s. "Lead is a poison and should not be present in paint or other products to which children are exposed. Unlike adults who have the capability to protect themselves from harmful substances, children cannot ordinarily tell safe objects from hazardous ones," said the coalition's Paeng Lopez. He said "The Lead in New Decorative Household Paints: A Global Study," conducted by the International POPs Elimination Network," found lead in 80 percent of the paint samples that were purchased by participating groups from 10 countries including the Philippines. Professor Scott Clark, a visiting scientist from the University of Cincinnati who has done extensive research on lead in paints, said the results of the test conducted in a government-accredited laboratory in India, provided fresh evidence on the widespread production and sale of paints with added lead. “The new data on lead in household paints should elicit global and national campaigns and partnerships for the removal of lead in paints," said Clark. "As paint use increases as economies expand, it would be horrible and utterly unnecessary to see a legacy created of the poisoning of millions of children and others," he added. - GMANews.TV