Phasing out lead paint
- Geographical scope: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
- Time frame: October 2018-June 2022
- Priority area: Chemicals and Waste
- Partners: The United Nations Environment Programme, the World Health Organisation, the International Persistent Organic Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), the American Bar Association, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
- Donors: The project is financed through the Global Environment Facility.
- Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 3 (Good health and well-being) and Goal 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production)
Environmental challenge
Every year, 600 000 children are born with intellectual disabilities after their mothers were exposed to lead paint. Lead exposure accounts for 540 000 deaths and 13.9 million years lost to disability and death due to long-term effects on health, with the highest burden on developing regions. Lead can be closer to home than we may think – it can be found on children’s toys, for example.
In our region, many Eastern European, Caucasian and Central Asian countries require tighter legislation to detect and ban lead paint, while other countries may still be producing and exporting it.
Project
The overall aim of the project is for 40 countries to establish legal limits to the lead content of paint and for at least 50 small and medium-sized enterprises that manufacture paint manufacturers in eight countries to phase out lead.
In Europe, the work covers Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. We raise awareness on the dangers posed by lead paint and work with governments to set up a two-year plan to legislate against it. For exampe, a workshop organised by the UN Environment Programme in 2016 led to Moldova committing to draw up legislation to ban lead paint. Ukraine has also drafted legislation with our support.
UNEP, the World Health Organization and the US Environment Protection Agency, in cooperation with other partners, have developed a model law and guidance on lead paint. This is now available in all six UN languages.
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