Less than glossy

Earlier in the year the American journal Environmental Research ran an article on ‘Total lead concentration in new decorative enamel paints in Lebanon, Paraguay and Russia. It claimed that five leading Lebanese paint manufacturers had products with exceedingly high lead content, and in certain cases had misled customers through erroneously labeling paint as ‘lead free’. Is lead in paint another health worry on top of the garbage crisis and recent food contamination scandals? White, yellow and red paint from four Lebanese brands – Tinol, Sipes, Noula, Omega as well as the US-affiliated Dutch Boy – were acquired by local activist organization IndyAct and sent to the United States for testing. The results showed that certain paints, particularly yellows and reds, had extremely high levels of lead, in excess of US standards of 90 parts per million (ppm). It stated that two of the brands, Tinol and Dutch Boy, were mislabeling