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Meeting of stakeholders on lead in paints
Source: Toxics Link, Date: , 2014
Toxics Link organized meeting of stakeholders
to push for mandatory standards on lead in paints, at the India International Centre,
New Delhi. The meeting was attended by various stakeholders, including
officials from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Quality Council of
India (QCI), ALL India Institute of Medical science (AIIMS), Consumer Groups
and Medical Fraternity. The meeting becomes extremely significant if viewed
from the wider context of uncontrolled use of lead in paints, in the country.
Serious concerns and the need for
stricter measures were raised by most of the participants. The medical experts
were all the more ardent - quoting from recent studies they emphasized upon
high level of lead detected in children's blood. Though India has phased out
lead from gasoline a long time ago, presence of lead in blood clearly indicates
the need for stringent measures.
It may be recalled that a report
released in November 2013 by Toxics Link “Nation Report - Lead in India’s
Household Enamel Paints” found the average lead content in paint to be
extremely high, and none of these paints would qualify for sale on the
international market.
Recently, a trend is noticed among
the bigger players in paint industry to reduce lead contents, but this practice
is not followed by many Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), who get away in
the absence of mandatory standards.
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