As of 31 May 2020, 75 countries have confirmed they have legally binding controls to limit the production, import and sale of lead paints, which is 39% of all countries. In many countries, using lead paint in homes and schools is not prohibited, creating a significant risk of children’s exposure to lead.
The Update on the Global Status of Legal Limits on Lead in Paint is provided annually in English and Spanish by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) in support of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (Lead Paint Alliance). UN Environment and the World Health Organization (WHO) serve as the joint Secretariat for this international, voluntary, collaborative initiative. The information reflected in the report is provided by governments.
Since publication of the 2019 Update on the Global Status of Legal Limits on Lead in Paint,
- China changed from a soluble to total lead limit and updated to a 90 ppm lead limit in standards for woodware and architectural paints and 1000 ppm lead limit in standards for vehicle and industrial paints.
- Ecuador confirmed they have had a 100 ppm lead limit for some paints for which there is a high likelihood of human contact and a 600 ppm lead limit for other paints and their status was changed to having a lead paint law.
- Qatar confirmed they have a 600 ppm lead limit for imported paints and their status was changed to having a lead paint law.
- Many other countries are currently working on updating and/or drafting new laws to address lead in paint.
There are two interactive maps that present a global view of information about the status of lead paint laws by country:
- WHO Map and Database: WHO member states with legally-binding controls on lead paint, as of 31 May 2020– This interactive map is based on a detailed WHO database of the status of lead paint laws and shows the ‘yes/no/no data” status of national lead paint laws for WHO member states, including the year their government most recently confirmed their status (not the date that the law was passed).
- UNEP Map and Database: Lead paint law status interactive map hosted by SAICM Chemicals Without Concern – This interactive map uses the same authoritative WHO database information to present a view which includes a summary of the law details and the year a country passed its law.
