Groups Support Braga’s Lead Safe Paint Initiative in Davao City
Environmental health groups welcomed the proposal made by District
1 Councilor Pilar Braga calling on the City Council to enact an
ordinance requiring the use of lead safe paints in construction, maintenance and renovation
projects and activities of the City of Davao
“The mandatory use of
lead safe paints in the City of Davao , in
support of the national government’s policy and program to eliminate lead
paint, will prevent children’s exposure to lead via leaded paints as well as
reduce occupational exposures to such paints,” Braga
The Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) and the EcoWaste Coalition
welcomed Braga’s lead safe paint initiative as this will promote the public’s health, safety and welfare, as well as
advance a toxic-free environment for the benefit the city’s over 1.6 million
residents.
“We thank Councilor Braga for initiating this well-timed proposal in line with
the phase-out of lead-containing paints nationwide. The mandatory
purchase and use of lead safe paints for city projects and activities will
safeguard all Davaoeños, especially the young children,
pregnant women and workers, from the detrimental effects of lead exposure to
human health and the environment,” said Chinkie Peliño-Golle,
Executive Director, Interface Development Interventions (IDIS).
“We look forward to the filing and eventual adoption of an
ordinance that will potentially make Davao City as the first local government
unit (LGU) to explicitly require the use of
paints without lead additives for painting jobs paid out of public funds in
compliance with the directive from the Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG),” stated Thony Dizon, Chemical Safety Campaigner, EcoWaste
Coalition.
DILG Memorandum Circular 2018-26 on the “Mandatory Use of Lead Safe Paints by
LGUs” issued by OIC Eduardo M. Año last February 28 enjoins the country’s
LGUs - from the provinces to the barangays - to “support the phase-out of
lead-containing paints and eventually reduce the hazards and risks posed by
such paints to human health."
Lead-containing paint and
lead-contaminated dust are recognized as major sources of lead exposure among
children that can cause irreparable damage to the brain and the central nervous
system, resulting in reduced intelligence and behavioral disorders, the groups
said.
The groups explained that lead discharged into the environment makes its way
into the air, land, and water. Painting
activities, particularly the haphazard removal of lead painted surfaces,
release lead particulates that can contaminate waterways such as rivers,
creeks and can even reach underlying aquifers that affect drinking water
quality. Also, lead deposited in soils may be retained for up to 2,000
years and can be absorbed by plants through their leaves and roots, posing
risks to the ecosystems and human health.
“There is no known level of lead exposure that is considered safe,” according
to the World Health Organization, which has also classified lead as one of the
“ten chemicals of major public health concern.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) Administrative Order 2013-24, or the Chemical Control Order for Lead and
Lead Compounds, prohibits paints and other surface coatings with lead content
above 90 parts per million (ppm).
The groundbreaking regulation paved the way for
eventual phase-out of lead-containing paints for architectural, decorative and
household applications in December 2016 following a three-year transition
period.
Lead-based paints used for industrial applications are targeted for phase-out
by December 2019.
-end-
Reference:
Privilege Speech on Lead Paints by Councilor Pilar C.
http://www.dilg.gov.ph/issuances/mc/Mandatory-use-of-Lead-Safe-Paints-by-LGUs/2658
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