Eliminating lead paint will contribute to achievement of some SDG targets, says Adogame

Photo caption: Participants at the one-day workshop to mark the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2021 in Lagos on Friday 29th October 2021.

An environmentalist and Executive Director of Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria), a non-governmental organization, Dr. Leslie Adogame, has said that eliminating lead paint from the environment by countries will contribute to the achievement of some targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Adogame stated this in Lagos on Friday 29 October 2021 in his welcome remarks at the one-day workshop to mark the year 2021 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) organized by SRADev in collaboration with Paint Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMA).

According to him, in eliminating lead paint, countries will contribute to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goal targets:

• 3.9: By 2030 substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
• 12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

He explained that from 25th to 30th November 2021, the ILPPW is marked worldwide, with a particular focus on raising awareness on the need to eliminating lead paint. “This event is special and also remarkable because following our launch of the national campaign in 2010, it is being organised to mark the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) with “Working together for a world without lead paint” as its theme. It may interest you to know that the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (GAELP), a collaborative initiative run jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Health Organisation (WHO), declared November 25-30, 2021 as the Week of Action.  In Nigeria, SRADev Nigeria (a member of GAELP) in collaboration with Paint Manufacturers Association (PMA) is joining the global community to raise awareness about lead exposure, publicize efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning, and promote action to eliminate lead paint.

“Lead poisoning is preventable, yet the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has estimated that in 2017 lead exposure accounted for 1.06 million deaths and 24.4 million years lost to disability and death due to long-term effects on health, with the highest burden in developing regions. Of particular concern is the role of lead exposure in the development of intellectual disability in children. Even though there is wide recognition of this problem and many countries have taken action, exposure to lead, particularly in childhood, remains of key concern to health care providers and public health officials worldwide”, he stated.

The SRADev chief said lead is one of the world’s most ubiquitous heavy metal neuro-toxicant known. It is a toxic metal which can be found in paints when a paint manufacturer adds one or more lead compounds to paint for some purpose. “Significantly, at the second session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM2) held in 2009, several chemical issues were identified by consensus to be international priority issues of concern. One of these emerging policy issues is lead in paints.  In response to the ICCM decision, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly initiated a global partnership to eliminate the use of lead compounds in paints in order to protect public health and the environment. This partnership is called the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (GAELP). Its goal is to eliminate lead use in paint by 2020.

“In Nigeria, one potential ally for lead paint elimination is the Paint Manufacturers Association (PMA). The Paint Manufacturers Association on Nigeria (PMA) is the Trade Association for the surface coatings industry in Nigeria and has been in existence for over thirty years. Its membership consists of only registered manufacturers, with manufacturing facilities located and operated within Nigeria. PMA formally supports the promulgation of national lead paint control legislation or regulations in Nigeria. PMA is currently encouraging its affiliate associations especially the SMEs sector to conform to the 90 ppm Lead paint standard set by SON as well as actively supports upcoming legislation or regulations in this regard. May I use this opportunity to call on NESREA to fast track the ongoing process to have a legislation to regulate lead use in Nigerian paints.

“SRADev Nigeria and PMA are concern with the challenges facing SMEs in Nigeria which include getting access to appropriate, non-leaded substitute ingredients in small quantities and at a reasonable price. Some may also find it difficult to identify the substitute ingredients that are most appropriate to their particular product lines; to obtain all available information on how to reformulate their products using the substitute ingredients without devoting an excessive amount of time and resources to research and development; and/or to establish good vendor relationships with the companies that supply appropriate substitute ingredients.

“As a result of this, SRADeV Nigeria is currently implementing the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) funded project titled “Global Best Practices on Emerging Chemicals Policy Issues of Concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management (SAICM): Elimination of Lead Paint Project”. The project aims at identifying alternatives to lead additives in paint as well as to reformulate to non-leaded paint”.

Executive Secretary PMA, Mr. Jude Maduka emphasized the need for continuous awareness raising to avoid lead poisoning, which is the reason PMA is partnering SRADeV on the ILPPW 2021 event as in the past.

He reiterated that paint manufacturers will comply with the 90ppm set by Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) as he urged the National Environmental Standard Regulatory and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to effectively consult with the paint makers before enforcing the regulation. He also encouraged SMEs to bring their problems to be discussed at the secretariat.

General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), represented by Mr. Emmanuel Abiodun, in his goodwill message, commended SRADev Nigeria effort at regularly creating awareness on the dangers inherent in lead contamination, he additionally urged SRADev to liaise with the necessary authorities in order to ban leaded paint in Nigeria.

Representative of Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Mrs. Tessy Ojomo in her goodwill message, appreciated SRADev Nigeria for her tenacity towards the phase-out of lead paint in Nigeria. She admonishes the resilience of the NGO sector in the continued fight against lead use in paint and its campaign to ban leaded paint in Nigeria. Ojomo also appreciated the manufacturers of paint and encouraged them to comply with the 90ppm stipulated standard of lead in paint by SON. She added that the standard was set through the collaborative efforts of stakeholders including PMA.