Lead in paints in Brazil

Lead in paints in Brazil

In 2009, the NGO APROMAC – Association for Environmental Protection of Cianorte, Paraná, collected samples of paints of various brands and colors sold in Brazil to analyze the presence of lead. According to the report, several samples of Brazilian paints contain lead levels well above 600 parts per million (ppm), which is the maximum limit allowed by law 11.762/2008. The yellow enamel paint of the Renner brand was the sample that presented the most lead in its composition: more than 170,000 ppm of lead, that is, almost 300 times above the allowed limit. The red enamel samples of the brandsSuvinil and Dakar contained, respectively, 20,957 ppm and 19,080 ppm of lead. Suvinil’s yellow enamel and Dakar’s orange enamel had 66,125 ppm and 60,713 ppm, respectively. The enamel samples from Coral (Coralit) and Sherwin Williams (Novacor) had lead contents varying between 53 and 0 (zero) ppm. All samples were analyzed by the Indian laboratory Delhi Test House, certified by the National Board of Certification for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), according to the Standard Operating Procedures for Lead in Paint PB92-114172 (1991) and SW846-740 (2001) of the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA).
(Portuguese version only)