Due to their brilliant colors, their universal performance and their reasonable price, lead chromate pigments have been used in various applications for many decades. However, studies conducted for many years have already proven that these products may cause cancer, may damage the unborn child, are suspected of damaging fertility and harm the environment. Today these concerns are widely known, and lead chromate pigments have been banned from several applications in the North American and European markets. This first wave of governmental legislations and official market bans has been successfully implemented; however, to-date many countries in Asia, Africa and South America have resisted implementing an official ban on lead chromate pigments.
In October 2020, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), whose secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has published a Policy Brief that reminded us about the global situation in lead paint, and called for a fast realization of its global elimination. Pointing out the burden of disease due to lead exposure and its threats to both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, the SAICM Policy Brief forms a call to action for more political guidance.¹