Abhishek Behl, http://merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=126388
Most Indian paint manufacturers are using lead much beyond the permissible limits, risking human lives, according to a study. Do not buy paints without a tree symbol on the package.
GOOD OLD ‘Chuna’(limestone) favoured by majority of Indians to whitewash their houses is safer to use than the high end paints available in the market, if a Toxics Link report is to be believed.
The report claims that majority of paints being sold in the Indian market are flush with lead beyond the permissible limit.
Toxics Link, a leading non-governmental organization (NGO) working in the field of environment safety released the report ‘Brush with Toxics’ in Delhi, on Wednesday.
Paints sold by leading Indian brands including those claiming international tie-ups have high level of lead, the study reveals.
Industry sources revealed that one-paint company sells totally lead free paints in India and it comes at the fourth number, as far as its market share is concerned. The leading paint makers have however the earned the dubious distinction of having the highest lead in its paints, they added.
Toxics Link, however, refused to confirm these facts, stating that they could not reveal the data as it was confidential information.
As per the report, from around 69 paint samples picked from Delhi and Mumbai, around 83 percent contained more than 600 to 1000 part per million (ppm) of lead while 61 percent samples had more than 5000 ppm of lead. Interestingly, enamel paints had higher concentration of lead with most of them showing a concentration of more than 1000 ppm.
Dwelling on the negative effects of lead in paints, while releasing the report, Ravi Agarwal, Director Toxics Link, demanded that Indian government should regulate the use lead in paints as it was a hazardous metal.
“Exposure to lead can have effect on human being particularly children and women”, said Agarwal, adding that continued exposure to lead has a direct impact on the nervous system and intelligent quotient. Quoting the report, Agarwal said, that lead exposure could lead to weakness in fingers, abnormal blood pressure, anemia and severe damage to brain and kidneys.
Dr Abhay Kumar, who conducted the study, opined that Indian government has to play an important role in regulating the paint industry and set mandatory standards for use of chemicals and metals in various paints.
Presenting the data of the study said that high concentration of lead in enamel paints is one of the most worrying aspect of this study. “Presence of lead is much beyond the 1000 ppm voluntary standard prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards”, he added.
He further told that while paint companies are flouting the norms in India, the same adhere to stricter norms while selling similar products in Europe and America.
When asked how could one identify the safest paint brand in the market, Satish Sinha Associate Director, Toxics Link said, “If a box of paint has a tree symbol on it then it is one of the safest products to use.”
Here it must be mentioned that United States of America and European countries have strict and mandatory regulations regarding the use of lead in paints. Iin India however, there is neither a standard regulatory framework nor an agency, which could implement the laws even as lives of billions of people are put at risk.
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