SL turning blind eye on lead poisoning in occupational environments – CEJ

By Ifham Nizam

Lead poisoning in the occupational environment is glaringly ignored in Sri Lanka. The authorities should take immediate steps to introduce health screen facilities for informal sector workers, especially those engaged in occupations with a high exposure risk, for, prevention is better than cure, the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) yesterday warned while welcoming International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action – 2023.

CEJ Executive Director, Dilena Pathragoda said, however, that compared to many countries Sri Lanka has a good position on lead content in paint by having most paints in the market recording below 90 ppm, the standard recommended by the WHO.

Pathragoda added; “This was a result of long-term research, advocacy, and awareness carried out by the Centre for Environmental Justice. But, on the other hand, there are several paint types in the market today that are not necessarily included in the legal categorization of paints, such as, board paint, fabric paint, wood paint and roofing paint. Therefore, we recommend their recognition in the law.

“However, those engaged in battery manufacturing and recycling, scrap collectors and those who handle electronic waste and dismantle them for resource recovery, personnel involved in demolition, renovation, automobile/ radiator repair, plastic/ glass manufacturing, iron/ steel works, welding/soldering, road construction, lead smelting, propeller engine, aircraft maintenance, are vulnerable to lead exposure.

“To reduce lead poisoning there should be legal provisions and systematic implementation processes in place for these workplaces.

“Lead is a heavy metal as well as a known toxic. According to the WHO, lead exposure is estimated to account for 21.7 million years lost due to disability and death (disability-adjusted life years, or DALYs) worldwide. Around 1 million people die from lead poisoning while millions more, including children, are exposed to various diseases resulting from lead poisoning. According to UNICEF at least 1 out of 3 children contains blood lead exceeding 5 µg/dl (micrograms per deciliter), which could potentially lead to neurological impacts, such as lowered IQ, impaired learning ability, and other health issues, such as, anemia, hypertension, immunotoxicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs.

“The WHO, along with the United Nations Environment Programme, has announced the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action, to be held in the last week of October every year. In 2023, it falls between 22nd and 28th October, marking the 11th year of this annual endeavor, which was launched in 2013. It was initiated with the aim of raising awareness among the public, governments, businesses and all stakeholders related to sources of lead exposure and for the purpose of taking preventive measures.

“Within the Sri Lankan context, sources of lead exposure could be lead in solvent-based paints, plastic or rubber toys contaminated with lead or toys painted with lead-contaminated paint, porcelain products, school equipment, beauty products and recycling of lead-acid batteries or car batteries as well as other electronic waste (E-Waste).”

“According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for lead is 50 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) of lead over an eight-hour time-weighted-average for all employees. But, does Sri Lanka maintain this standard?” asks Chalani Rubesinghe, Project Planning and Management Officer, CEJ.

“No data is to be found in the Sri Lankan context of the average blood lead level of our informal sector workers. The occupational exposure creates pathways for exposure in children as lead-contaminated clothes and soil lead to secondary exposure. Therefore, it is important that we pay attention to both occupational and environmental exposure pathways of lead, she added.