A recent study by local and international researchers revealed that over 40% of oil-based paints being sold in Pakistan contain “dangerous and illegally high levels” of lead. This poses a severe threat to children’s health, with irreversible damage to their brain development, short stature, and anemia.
As part of the study, researchers from the Aga Khan University (AKU) and the Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP) examined 60 residential-use paints from 21 brands for sale in Karachi. Results indicated that almost half of the paints tested exceeded Pakistan’s statutory limit of 100 parts per million and the World Health Organization’s recommendations, with some products containing up to 1000 times the permitted amount.
Lead exposure from paint and other sources impacts an estimated 47 million young lives in Pakistan, with the country losing approximately $38 billion in lost wages annually. Even modest exposure to lead can lead to decreased IQ, lower educational attainment, lower future incomes, and increased aggressive behavior in children.
The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has called on paint production companies to eliminate lead from their products as soon as possible. In 2017, the PSQCA imposed a mandatory standard that limits the amount of lead in paints to 100 parts per million.
Yellow and red paints were found to be particularly dangerous. Safe replacement pigments are readily available, and several nations have already effectively eliminated lead paint. Some Pakistani companies have also already eliminated lead compounds, based on the study’s findings.
