On the basis of the Environment Protection Rules 1997, MoSTE on December 22, 2014 published a notice in the Nepal Gazette banning enamel paints having lead contents above 90 Parts Per Million (ppm) or 90 Milligram Per Liter (mg/L). The ban on materials containing asbestos is also included in the official gazette notice.Asbestos is used in manufacturing vehicle parts such as brake shoe and clutch plate and the thin cement roofs used mostly in the Tarai region.
In the meantime, the government had offered a six-month grace period for paint manufacture and importers to meet the prescribed standards. The dateline ends on Saturday.
According to Joint Secretary at MoSTE, Mahendra Man Gurung, the restriction on substandard enamel paints and asbestos content comes in a prime ministerial order and it is incumbent on all to implement it at any cost.
"We are not against all paints but only those which exceed the government's prescribed standard of 90 ppm. Besides doctors, the WHO says its impact on humans can result in cancer and obstruction in the development of the brain," said Gurung.
Concern over lead content grew after each test conducted on paints yeilded negative results. The Center for Public Health and Environment Development (CEPHED) has already conducted five regular tests on various brands of enamel paint in Nepal and the results have failed to meet the prescribed standards.
So far, CEPHED has already conducted four different tests on enamel paints. The test yielded harrowing results. The lead content was measured at almost 10,000 ppm in 2012 and 74,000 ppm in 2010. During the tests, enamel paints belonging to 10 national, 7 international and 7 multinational companies were put through test.
Meanwhile, President of Nepal Paint Manufactures Association (NPMA), Bishwa Prakash Shaaka, commented that the government's decision was totally impractical and taken in haste.
"No other Asian country has designated the standard for lead contain as low as our government. Moreover, it takes a lot of research and technical support to measure and find the lead contain, which is not possible in Nepal. The machinery required for this purpose is very expensive and companies here cannot afford it at all," said Shaaka.
Denying the carcinogenic impact of substandard enamel paints, Shaaka said not a single person in history has died of cancer acquired through smelling these paints.
"It is not fresh paint and dried enamel paints that can cause trouble if it is touched by children. Besides, these paints have never killed a single human being," he added.
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