LAGOS/Nigeria: A global coalition of environmental and public health organisations has intensified calls for stricter international regulation of lead chromates, a key ingredient used in lead-based paints, warning that millions of children worldwide, including an estimated 80 million in Nigeria, remain at risk of lead poisoning.
The International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) and its more than 730 member organisations made the call on Friday in a statement marking the 2026 World Environment Day, urging governments to take urgent action to curb the international trade in the toxic chemical.
The statement, signed by Dr. Leslie Adogame, Executive Director of Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADeV Nigeria), an IPEN member organisation, called on parties to the Rotterdam Convention to list lead chromates under the Convention’s Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.
If adopted, the measure would require exporting countries to notify and obtain the consent of importing countries before shipping lead chromates, a move environmental advocates believe could significantly reduce the global circulation of the hazardous substance.
The call comes amid growing concerns over the continued use and international trade of lead chromates despite increasing scientific evidence linking lead exposure to severe health complications, particularly among children.
IPEN noted that Morocco, Cameroon, Switzerland and Australia have already notified the Rotterdam Convention of their bans on lead chromates in paint, paving the way for formal discussions on the issue at the next Conference of Parties.
According to the network, member organisations in more than 20 low- and middle-income countries are currently assessing the trade and use of lead chromates and engaging their respective governments to support the proposed restrictions.
IPEN Science Adviser and Director of the Lead Paint Elimination Campaign, Sara Brosché, described lead paint as one of the most common sources of childhood lead exposure globally.
“Controlling the production and trade of lead-containing paints is essential to prevent lead exposure from paint in low and middle income countries,” she said.
Brosché stressed that safer alternatives to lead chromates already exist and urged governments to embrace a coordinated global response to protect vulnerable populations.
“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 added.
In Nigeria, SRADeV expressed concern over the continued importation of lead chromates despite years of advocacy and policy efforts aimed at eliminating their use.
Adogame disclosed that import records from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) showed that a small group of companies continued to dominate the country’s lead chromate market.
According to him, the ten largest importers brought in 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 environmental groups also referenced findings from a recent IPEN report titled “Exporting Lead Poisoning: The Toxic Trade in Lead Chromates,” which revealed that several countries that have banned lead chromates domestically continue to permit their manufacture and export.
According to the report, European Union member states exported lead chromates to between 43 and 48 countries between 2020 and 2022, including nations that had already adopted restrictions on lead paint.
The report further revealed that Indian manufacturers exported lead chromates to 78 countries during the same period, with 44 of those countries already maintaining some form of lead paint restrictions.
It added that 65 countries imported approximately 4,000 metric tonnes of chrome-based pigments from Canada between 2020 and 2022.
IPEN warned that lead paint remains a major contributor to childhood lead exposure, causing irreversible damage to the brain, nervous system, immune system, reproductive organs and cardiovascular system.
The network noted that lead poisoning has been associated with reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioural disorders, learning difficulties, hypertension and other long-term health complications.
The organisation recalled that 120 countries supported a global phase-out of lead paint in 2009 due to its devastating health impacts.
Since 2007, IPEN member groups have tested more than 5,000 paint samples across 59 countries and used the findings to advocate stronger regulations and public awareness campaigns.
According to the organisation, these efforts 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 worldwide.
However, the coalition maintained that stronger international action remains necessary to eliminate lead paint globally, particularly through tighter controls on the production, export and import of lead chromates.
This year’s World Environment Day, themed “Now for Climate,” highlights the urgency of collective global action in addressing environmental and public health threats.
Lead poisoning remains one of the world’s most serious environmental health challenges. According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 900,000 deaths are linked to lead exposure annually, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for approximately 47,000 deaths.
Nigeria is among the countries carrying the heaviest burden, with an estimated 80 million children exposed to lead contamination. Health experts warn that children aged between nine and 59 months are particularly vulnerable, as even low levels of lead exposure can impair cognitive development, learning ability and long-term wellbeing.
The devastating consequences of lead poisoning were tragically demonstrated during the 2010 Zamfara lead contamination crisis, which claimed the lives of about 400 children. Similar outbreaks have since been recorded in Sokoto, Niger and Kaduna states, while low-to-moderate lead exposure continues to affect communities across the country.
