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T1 Update on the Global Status of Legal Limits on Lead in Paint: September 2017
A1 United Nations Environment Programme, 
K1 lead
K1 Lead
YR 2017
FD 2017-10
LK https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/22001
UL https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/22001
NO This update is provided by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) in support of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (Lead Paint Alliance). UN Environment and the World Health Organization serve as the joint secretariat for this international voluntary, collaborative initiative (See Resource 1). “Lead paint” is paint or similar surface-coatings to which one or more lead compounds have been added. The primary goal of the Lead Paint Alliance is to prevent children’s exposure to lead from paints and to minimize occupational exposures to lead paint. The most effective means of preventing lead exposure from paints is to establish national laws, including legislation, regulations and/or legally binding standards as appropriate, that ban the use of lead additives in paints. Therefore, the goal of the Alliance is for all countries to have lead paint laws in place as soon as possible.
NO This report provides an overview of legally binding controls on lead in paint across various regions as of 2017, highlighting the significant health risks posed by lead exposure, particularly to children. It details progress made by governments, industry, and NGOs toward establishing national laws and standards to eliminate lead from paints, identifying that only 67 countries—about 35% globally—had such controls in place at the time. The document outlines the adverse and irreversible health impacts of lead, including neurological damage and increased risks of anemia, kidney disease, and hypertension, with a particular emphasis on the economic costs borne by low- and middle-income countries. It describes different legislative approaches—either setting a single maximum acceptable lead concentration or enacting compound-specific restrictions—and presents region-specific data on law adoption rates, paint testing results, and ongoing collaborative efforts.
DS UN Environment Document Repository
RD Sep 20, 2026