The country’s groundbreaking regulation banning the use of lead in the production of paints has been shortlisted for a global award that recognizes exemplary policies safeguarding human health and the environment from toxic chemicals.
Last May 27, the World Future Council (WFC) announced the inclusion of the Chemical Control Order for Lead and Lead Compounds, or the CCO, among the 12 top candidates for this year’s Future Policy Award (FPA). The winners will be announced by the Germany-based group on July 6 in a virtual ceremony.
Also known as the “Oscar on best policies,” FPA is the first and only award that celebrates policies for the benefit of present and future generations on an international level.
The CCO imposes a total maximum lead content of 90 parts per million (ppm) for all paints and sets a phase out period for lead-containing architectural, household and decorative paints (2013-2016) and lead-containing industrial paints (2013-2019).
“We are deeply honored to have been nominated and subsequently shortlisted for the FPA 2021 as the global award recognizes a groundbreaking policy that our government had promulgated with vigorous support from our paint industry and civil society partners to protect vulnerable populations, particularly children, women and workers, from the harmful effects of lead exposure,” said Atty. Juan Miguel Cuna, DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations and Environment.
For his part, Derrick Tan, President of the Philippine Association of Paint Manufacturers (PAPM), noted “the CCO’s shortlisting for the FPA 2021 as a high point in the industry-wide transition to lead-safe paint production made possible by the promulgation of a mandatory policy that was developed with the participation of paint manufacturers, raw materials suppliers, environmental health activists and government regulators.”
“The shortlisting of the CCO for FPA 2021 is a testament to our country’s resolve to protect children’s health from preventable sources of lead poisoning such as lead in paint, dust and soil, which can seriously affect a child’s growth and development, including causing intellectual impairments and behavioral issues,” said Manny Calonzo, Adviser for the Lead Paint Elimination Campaign of the EcoWaste Coalition and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN).
“This shared achievement should inspire all sectors to sustain the monitoring of compliance to the CCO and related regulations and to the adoption of further measures that will, for example, address ‘legacy paint’ or lead paint applied in the past, especially in homes, schools, playgrounds and other places frequented by children,” he added.
“The shortlisting of the lead paint regulations of the Philippines and Ethiopia, which were both developed with the essential input and participation of various sectors, including environmental health NGOs, highlights the need for countries to enact and enforce strong laws banning lead in all paints to safeguard children’s health,” said Sara Brosche, Science Advisor and Manager of IPEN Global Lead Paint Elimination Campaign.
“IPEN is privileged to have collaborated with the EcoWaste Coalition and Pesticide Action Nexus-Ethiopia in building support for the adoption of exemplary lead paints laws in their respective countries,” she said.
The FPA is awarded by the WFC and is organized this year in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
