“Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment” NGO
On October 26, Gyumri hosted a round table discussion on the problems of lead in household paints in Armenia. Participants of the meeting received a report on the results of studies of lead in paints, conducted jointly with AWHHE IPEN in the international campaign for the elimination of lead in paints.
The study analyzed 49 different color 20 brands purchased in stores of Yerevan. 29 colors [59%] contained lead. Of these, 9 colors [18%] contained dangerously high levels of lead in excess of 10,000 ppm (parts / million).
The highest installed total lead concentration was 180 000 pieces per million - Alvan Empire brand, yellow (Iran), that is 36 times higher than the limit set in the legislation of the Eurasian Economic Union.
Different countries have adopted different standards for lead content in the paint. In the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union is a single sanitary and epidemiological and hygienic requirements for goods subject to sanitary-and-epidemiologic supervision (control). According to these requirements, the level of lead in paints should not exceed 5000 parts per million, significantly higher than those standards established in developed and many developing countries.
We analyzed the red, yellow and white paint. Yellow paint often contains dangerously high levels of lead in excess of 10,000 ppm. Of the 19 yellow colors in 8 (42%) contained lead levels of over 10,000 ppm and 15 red paint in one (7%) contained dangerously high levels of lead in excess of 10,000 ppm.
Comparison of the results with the corresponding data for 2011 showed some improvement: 2-fold decrease in the share of paints with high (greater than 10 000ppm.) Concentration of lead - from 18% to 38%. However, the maximum concentration of lead found in the paint has risen from 130 000 ppm to 180 000 ppm.
"Only 2 of the 49 colors (4%) had an information on lead on labels of paints and for the majority of colors paints the only minimal information existed about the components that does not allow the user to orient the purchase and choice of colors," said AWHHE expert on chemical safety Knarik Grigoryan.
In Armenia, the Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights" from 26.06.2001, providing for the manufacturer and the seller responsible for providing false information. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lead exposure in childhood is one of the factors that cause annually about 600 000 new cases of development in children disorders of mental activity and reduced IQ. Every year from lead poisoning in the world dies 853 000people. Lead crosses the placental barrier and can get into the body of the unborn child. Lead paint still remains a major source of lead exposure on children. Children exposed to lead from paints when lead paint on walls, windows, doors or other painted surfaces begin to disintegrate or delaminate, as it leads to the release of lead dust and soil.
"The effects of lead on the health of young children, especially in the development of the brain throughout life, is irreversible and incurable. We limit the intellectual development of our children and the future of our country, even if the safe and effective alternatives are already in use and widely available. We need to reduce this critical source of lead exposure on infants. The best way to ensure the availability of safe paints, free of lead - bring into force the laws, regulations or mandatory standards which prohibit the manufacture, import, export, sale and use of lead paint, "said in a statement to the howling ILPPWA Dr. Maria Neira - Director Department of public health, environmental and social determinants of health, the World health organization (WHO)".
October 28, 2016 at 17:25