ZAMBIA must enact a law that will prohibit the manufacturing as well as selling and using of paints which contain hazardous substances such as lead to safeguard the lives of children and future generations, Children’s Environmental Health Foundation (CEHF) national lead elimination advisor Michael Musenga has said.
In many countries in the developing world including Zambia, paint that contain high levels of lead is still being sold for decorating houses as well as schools and children’s toys.
Mr Musenga said paint that contains lead additives posed a risk of lead poisoning especially to children aged six years and above and hence the country needed to come up with a piece of legislation to ban such paint.
He said in Livingstone yesterday that childhood lead poisoning could have long life health impacts including learning disabilities, anaemia and disorder in coordinating visual as well as speech and language skills.
Mr Musenga said it was necessary for Zambia to limit or ban the use of lead in paint as the exposure to lead had an impact on public health especially brain damage to children.
“The study conducted by the University of Zambia (UNZA) School of Medicine also revealed that paint manufactured in Zambia contain excessive lead thereby creating a risk to public health.
“Therefore working together with the Government and manufacturers in banning lead in paint will achieve toxic free future by the year 2020. We need to act together to protect the present and future generation,” Mr Musenga said.
From October 23, 2016 to October 29, 2016, Zambia will be hosting the fourth International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPWA).
During this period, CEHF will conduct a number of activities in Livingstone and other parts of the country to foster commitment to act to eliminate lead paint in Zambia.
The SALE of paint – not SELL. Do we have a poisons body or an environmental outfit of our own to do this? I am sure this CEHF is an NGO justifying its use of donor funding by trying to duplicate what people are employed to do!
Unfortunately ZBS spends money on advertising instead of enforcing
Mr. Musenga,
trying to catch-up with the rest of caring world after 30 years of negligence?
Lead based paints have been banned in other countries for decades, and we are still using them? Let me guess, asbestos roofing tiles are yet to be banned as well. ZABS needs to get on top of this
Consumers need to act by not buying the paint that is blended with lead. Foremost, sensitization must take place to inform the citizens that lead causes cancer. This has to be done via radio and television. Where possible show pictures of Zambian children that are suffering from lead poisoning. One Zambia One Nation.
Corruption reigns supreme in failed states like Zambia, so its wishfull thinking to believe Zambia will ban hazardous materials, as money & NOT morals talk!
What will happen is some Chinese company will oil the hands of some corrupt official, & lead paints, & other poisonous materials will flood our communities. Even corrupt Chagwa is alleged to have said “Even God can be bought off by him”
Now watch this space Zambians, as we are currently undergoing a campaign to prevent malaria, via spraying our neighbourhoods & Compounds with insecticides. In a corrupt failed state like Zambia, the insecticides being used may be toxic, or from Monsanto which many experts believe to be the real cause of Microcephaly in South America.
JUST BRACE YOURSELVES FOR MICROCEPHALY, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS…
cont;
JUST BRACE YOURSELVES FOR MICROCEPHALY, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS ZIKA!!!
What has traditional dancing got to do with enacting a law against the sale of paint? Is the body paint on the dancers equally dangerous?