Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 10: 243–249 ISSN: 1545-9624 print / 1545-9632 online Copyright c  2013 JOEH, LLC DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2013.768934 Lead Concentrations and Labeling of New Paint in Cameroon P. Gottesfeld, 1 G. Kuepouo, 2 S. Tetsopgang, 2 and K. Durand 1 1 Occupational Knowledge International, San Francisco, California 2 Research and Education Centre for Development (CREPD), Yaounde, Cameroon In spite of the availability of substitutes for lead com- pounds used in paints, manufacturers continue to produce these paints for decorative and industrial applications. We report here on the concentration of lead in new paint sold in Cameroon and provide a summary of labeling practices on paints available in the country, based on a market survey. Investigators visited 76 retail and wholesale paint suppliers in Cameroon to collect information from paint product labels and to collect samples of paints to analyze for lead content. Only 8.5% of paints had labels identifying any of the ingredients, and none of the lead paints included any warning language. Based on a convenience sample (weighted to include multiple colors from the most common brands), 61 mostly enamel paints were purchased from retail outlets and analyzed for lead content (median: 2150 ppm; range: <21–500,000 ppm). Sixty-six percent of the new paint samples had concentrations exceeding the U.S. standard of 90 ppm total lead. All but one of the samples with lead concentrations greater than 90 ppm were also greater than 600 ppm. The largest manufacturer in the country—Seigneurie, a subsidiary of the U.S.-based company PPG—had significant lead concentrations in 9 out of 22 (41%) paints tested. There is an immediate need to adopt mandatory standards to limit the lead content of paint manufactured, imported, and sold in the country. To promote safer paint products we recommend the development of a third- party certification program for paints without added lead. These recommendations are consistent with the objectives of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint established under the auspices of the United Nations to address this problem on a global scale. Keywords Africa, Cameroon, labeling practices, lead paint, lead poisoning Address correspondence to: Perry Gottesfeld, Occupational Knowledge International, 4444 Geary Boulevard, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94118; e-mail: pgottesfeld@okinternational.org. INTRODUCTION L ead paint is a significant source of exposure to workers in a range of occupations and is one of the most important contributors to childhood lead poisoning. (1,2) Due to the greater proportion of children in developing countries, as well as a greater propensity of malnourished individuals to absorb lead, reducing exposure sources in these countries should be a priority for public health authorities. Painters are exposed to lead when removing paint from surfaces coated with lead paint and during the application of lead paints. Air concentrations of lead during paint removal in homes and commercial buildings have been measured ex- tensively. One study (3) found time-weighted average (TWA) results as high as 550 μg/m 3 , or 11 times the U.S. Occupa- tional Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) TWA of 50 μg/m 3 . Another study (4) during a building renovation measured average exposures of 432.5 μg/m 3 during sanding and 64.75 μg/m 3 during scraping lead paint. When lead paint is removed using uncontrolled power sanding or open flame burning in housing, exposures can be higher than 5000 μg/ m 3 . (5) Exposures during paint removal and repair activities on steel structures can be greater than 20,000 μg/m 3 . (6) Blood lead levels are also used to quantify exposure in workers involved in disturbing lead paint. Airborne exposure monitoring of workers sanding lead paint off a U.S. ship aver- aged 60.6 μg/m 3 ; the average blood lead levels of these work- ers was 7.6 μg/dL. (7) Another study of U.S. bridge painters reported a geometric mean blood lead level of 18.2 μg/dL at the end of a 2-week job of sanding lead paint. The geometric mean airborne lead exposure in this study was 58.8 μg/m 3 . (8) In India, a study of 30 workers who had been full-time, residential painters for 5–10 years reported a mean blood lead level of 21.56 μg/dL. (9) Disturbing lead paint during renovations and repairs in homes and other child-occupied facilities also jeopardizes the health of children who are susceptible to lead poisoning from the resulting contamination of dust and soil in these environments. Young children get most of their lead exposure from contact with contaminated dust and soil in and around homes with lead paint. (10,11) In 1978 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) banned lead paint for residential use, while allowing the use of these coatings for industrial and other applications. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene May 2013 243 Downloaded by [P. Gottesfeld] at 15:23 08 March 2013