Education
Global move to curb toxic lead pigments gains momentum – EnviroNews
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Global efforts to tighten controls on toxic lead chromate pigments used in paints have received a major boost after an expert committee of the Rotterdam Convention recommended the chemicals for listing under the international treaty.
The Chemical Review Committee (CRC), meeting in Rome from September 15 to 18, 2026, concluded that notifications concerning lead chromates met the Convention’s criteria and recommended their listing in Annex III.
The recommendation could pave the way for stronger international controls over the trade of lead chromates, which remain in use in paint production despite their association with childhood and occupational lead exposure.
Under the Rotterdam Convention’s Prior Informed Consent procedure, listing would require countries to be informed about the risks associated with the chemicals and provide an import response before listed chemicals are traded to them.
The move is particularly significant because the international trade of lead chromates is currently difficult to track, creating loopholes through which the toxic pigments can reach countries that have already banned or restricted lead paint.
The International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) said it had documented ongoing production and sales of paints containing lead chromates in 59 countries and has called for stronger controls on the pigments.
Sara Brosché, IPEN Science Advisor, said the continued availability of lead paint demonstrated the need for greater transparency in the international trade of its ingredients.
“The widespread harm caused by lead in paint, especially to children and workers, has been known for over a hundred years,” she said, adding that uncontrolled trade in lead chromates could undermine national lead-paint restrictions.
The CRC’s recommendation followed notifications from Cameroon, Morocco, Switzerland and Australia. Cameroon and Morocco submitted the first notifications in 2024, while Switzerland and Australia followed in 2025. The CRC said the notifications from the four countries met the criteria for three lead chromates.
Africa has been a significant part of the process, with Cameroon and Morocco pushing the issue onto the international chemicals-management agenda.
Dr Naima Rhalem, President of the Moroccan Association of Health, Environment and Toxicovigilance (AMSETOX), said Morocco was among the first countries to notify the Rotterdam Convention because greater transparency was needed to protect children and workers from lead exposure.
In Cameroon, enforcement challenges have persisted despite the country’s ban on lead paint.
Gilbert Kuepouo, Executive Director of the Centre de Recherche et d’Education pour le Développement (CREPD), said lead paint was still being found on the country’s market five years after the ban was adopted.
He said the situation prompted Cameroon to notify the Rotterdam Convention, expressing the expectation that international action would help address loopholes in the trade of lead chromates and strengthen protection for children and families.
The Philippines has also welcomed the recommendation. Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition, said stronger international controls could help countries prevent illegal imports of lead-containing paints that circumvent domestic restrictions.
The CRC’s recommendation, however, is not yet the final listing decision. The committee’s recommendation will proceed through the Rotterdam Convention process, with a draft decision guidance document to be prepared for consideration by the CRC at its next meeting.
The guidance document is expected to provide information on the uses and risks of lead chromates, as well as safer alternatives that could assist countries in developing or strengthening lead-paint controls.
The recommendation nevertheless represents a significant step towards greater transparency in the global trade of lead chromates and could strengthen national efforts to keep toxic lead pigments out of paints.
For countries that have already banned or restricted lead in paint, advocates say closing international trade loopholes will be critical to ensuring that regulatory measures translate into effective protection for children, workers and communities.