19 September 2026, Rome, Italy. Toxic lead chromate pigments are still produced, sold, and shipped around the world for use in paint, despite this being a significant source of childhood and occupational lead exposures. Currently, the trade of lead chromates is very hard to track, and even countries that have banned lead paint (for example, in some Latin American countries) continue to receive lead chromates.
On September 16, the Chemical Review Committee (CRC) meeting in Rome unanimously concluded that lead chromates satisfy all criteria under the Rotterdam Convention and recommended them for listing under the Convention. This is a legally binding global agreement that mandates Prior Informed Consent before trade of listed chemicals. When listed, this means that the 168 Parties to the Convention must be notified and must consent before receiving lead chromate imports. A specific HS trade code for lead chromates will also be designated.
IPEN has provided evidence on ongoing production and sales of paints containing lead chromates in 59 countries, and advocates for stronger controls on lead pigments. Sara Brosché, IPEN Science Advisor, said:
“The widespread harm caused by lead in paint, especially to children and workers, has been known for over a hundred years, yet lead paint is still sold in half of the countries of the world. Even where lead paint is banned, the uncontrolled trade of lead chromates can let lead paint production slip through. This decision is an important step that will provide global transparency in the trade of this toxic paint ingredient and support countries to adopt and enforce lead paint regulations.”
Lead paint remains a major issue in Africa. Fittingly, Cameroon and Morocco took the lead in the Convention process by submitting the first notifications to advance a Rotterdam Convention listing of lead chromates in 2024 and were followed by Switzerland and Australia in 2025. All countries that have banned or restricted the use of lead chromates, or introduced thresholds on lead in paint, can follow suit and submit supporting notifications.
“Morocco is proud to have been among the first countries to notify the Rotterdam Convention on lead chromates,” said Dr. Naima Rhalem, President of the IPEN member group Moroccan Association of Health, Environment and Toxicovigilance (AMSETOX). “This decision importantly advances the goal toward the transparency needed to protect children and workers from lead in paint.”
“Even five years after our country adopted a ban on lead paint, we continued to find lead paint on the market in Cameroon. These enforcement challenges led Cameroon to notify the Rotterdam Convention on lead chromates,” said Gilbert Kuepouo, Executive Director of the Centre de Recherche et d’Education pour le Développement (CREPD), an IPEN member group in Cameroon. “The government’s expectations are high that a listing will help resolve this challenge and protect children and families in Cameroon from lead paint.”
“We laud IPEN and its participating organizations for the groundbreaking exposés on lead in paints and the unrestricted trade of lead chromates used to manufacture such paints,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition. “Classifying lead chromates as hazardous chemicals under the Rotterdam Convention will give the Philippines the legal backing to block illegal imports of lead-containing paints that currently bypass the country’s lead paint ban.”
The recent decision by the CRC is a key step towards a decision to list lead chromates at the Rotterdam Convention’s Conference of the Parties (COP) in 2029.
The CRC will work to develop a so-called decision guidance document that provides details about the uses of lead chromates that are covered by the listing. It will also include information on lead chromates, such as safer alternatives that can be useful for countries in developing lead paint bans. The CRC is expected to finalize the guidance document at its meeting in late 2027 and present it at the COP in 2029.
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Reference:
https://ipen.org/publication/exporting-lead-poisoning-toxic-trade-lead-chromates/
