The International Pollutants Elimination Network and its over 730 members globally have called for stronger international controls on lead chromates, a key ingredient used in lead-based paints, to protect millions of children from lead poisoning.
The group made the call on Friday in a statement to mark the 2026 World Environment Day (WED).
The statement was signed by Dr Leslie Adogame, the Executive Director of Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADeV Nigeria) an IPEN member.
The groups urged parties to the Rotterdam Convention to consider listing lead chromates under the Convention’s Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure, which would require exporting countries to notify and obtain consent from importing countries before shipment of the substance.
According to the groups, Morocco, Cameroon, Switzerland and Australia have already notified the Convention of their bans on the use of lead chromates in paint, paving the way for discussions on the issue at the next Conference of Parties.
IPEN said member organisations in more than 20 low and middle income countries were currently assessing the trade and use of lead chromates and would engage their governments to support the proposed action.
The statement quoted Sara Brosché, IPEN Science Adviser and Director of its Lead Paint Elimination Campaign, as saying that lead paint remained one of the most widespread sources of lead exposure among children.
“Controlling the production and trade of lead-containing paints is essential to prevent lead exposure from paint in low and middle income countries.
“A global approach is needed to protect millions of children, workers and other highly impacted groups who remain at risk from this toxic product that can easily be replaced with existing, safer alternatives,” she said.
The statement noted that IPEN member organisation, SRADeV Nigeria, had expressed concern over continued imports of lead chromates despite years of advocacy against their use.
Executive Director of SRADeV Nigeria, Dr Leslie Adogame, said import data from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) showed that the lead chromate import market was dominated by a small number of companies.
According to him, the top 10 importers accounted for more than 2,000 metric tonnes of lead chromates valued at over N5 billion between 2020 and 2025.
“This indicates that despite all advocacy and policy efforts over the past 10 years, the proposed listing of lead chromates under the Rotterdam Convention’s PIC procedure serves as an important opportunity to eliminate the use of lead chromate in Nigeria,” Adogame said.
The groups also cited findings from a recent IPEN report titled “Exporting Lead Poisoning: The Toxic Trade in Lead Chromates.”
The report found that while the European Union and several other countries had banned the use of lead chromates domestically, they continued to permit their production and export.
According to the report, European Union exports of lead chromates between 2020 and 2022 were shipped to between 43 and 48 countries, including several that had already banned or restricted lead paint.
It added that export records from India showed shipments of lead chromates to 78 countries during the same period, with 44 of the importing countries having existing restrictions on lead paint.
The report further noted that 65 countries reported annual imports of about 4,000 metric tonnes of chrome-based pigments from Canada between 2020 and 2022.
IPEN said lead paint had long been recognised as a major source of childhood lead exposure, which could cause irreversible damage to the brain, nervous, immune, reproductive and cardiovascular systems.
The network said exposure had been linked to reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), attention disorders, hypertension and other physical and behavioural health challenges.
It recalled that in 2009, 120 countries supported a global phase-out of lead paint due to its health impacts.
IPEN added that since 2007, its member groups had tested and analysed more than 5,000 paint samples in 59 countries and used the findings to promote awareness and regulatory reforms.
According to the organisation, the initiative contributed to the adoption of lead paint regulations by the East African Community in 2019, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2024, the Eurasian Economic Union in 2025, and more than 30 countries globally.
It, however, stressed that further action was needed to eliminate lead paint worldwide, including stricter regulation of the international trade in lead chromates.
NAN reports that the theme for the 2026 World Environment Day is “Now for Climate,” focussing on urgent global climate action and the necessity of immediate human responses to environmental crises.
Lead poisoning is a major public health and environmental threat worldwide.
According to the World Health Organization, nearly 900,000 deaths are attributable to lead exposure each year, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 47,000 deaths across all ages.
Nigeria ranks among the countries most affected by the global lead burden, with an estimated 80 million children exposed.
Data from the African Field Epidemiology Network show that Children aged 9–59 months are especially vulnerable, as even low levels of lead in the blood can impair cognitive development, learning, and long-term health.
The tragic 2010 Zamfara crisis, caused by illegal gold mining, claimed the lives of an estimated 400 children.
Similar outbreaks have been reported in Sokoto, Niger, and Kaduna States, while low-to-moderate exposure continues to affect children across urban and rural communities in Nigeria.
