Manufacturers tipped on lead alternatives preventing pollution

Environmental experts have asked manufacturers to use alternative sources of lead to curb pollution.

Lead pollution affects the entire human body, including the central nervous system and different body organs.

“We want manufacturers to do due diligence and use alternatives that are lead-free,” Dr Emmanuel Tebandeke, head of the department of chemistry at Makerere University and coordinator of the Lead Exposure Mitigation project in Uganda, said.   

 Dr. Tebandeke said they are going to engage manufacturers depending on the value chain. For example, lead paint will be talking to manufacturers and users. Some pigments are not lead-based and are available, of which manufacturers are aware.

What was popular was the lead-based and was used for colour in terms of drying of the paint, but alternatives are being developed and manufacturers are encouraged to use them.

Previously, metallic pipes were used in plumbing activities, but they kept corroding, peeling off and getting into the water. In turn, the water would be drunk and used for cooking. Today, the metallic water pipes have been replaced with gasoline pipes, said Leila Akello, NEMA's senior manager for environmental compliance.

“We want to eliminate the sources so as to prevent and protect ourselves from lead pollution. As such, we want people to know the dangers associated with lead and be cautious,” Akello noted.

The assistant commissioner at the Ministry of Water and Environment, Maureen Anino, said the Ministry has conducted studies that have revealed that there are some sources of lead pollution.

Anino cited plumbing materials among the on-point sources of lead pollution, which are the old plumbing materials. While the off-point sources are from different sources of contamination in water bodies.

The head of the division of chemical safety, radiation and pollution prevention at National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Dr. Innocent Achaye confirmed the presence of lead in the communities. “Identifying the sources of lead pollution in the country is critical because you cannot solve a problem that you do not know,” Dr Achaye said.

He further noted that there are sectors where the country needs to have lead-free operations. As such, the agency is targeting some value chains for batteries, paints, cosmetics and pipes that transfer water to our homes, and to industries.

Dr. Achaye said that in due course NEMA will look at all the different value chains and how to work hand-in-hand with the global layers of lead pollution to ensure that we have sustainability in terms of usage of lead in the country.

The remarks were made during a recent multi-stakeholder meeting and press conference on the lead pollution awareness campaign in Uganda held at Hotel Africana, Kampala on Thursday.

Health dangers of lead

Lead is a heavy metal. It is used in lead-acid batteries, as a colouring agent, paints and metal alloyed as shielding materials, smelters, printing presses, and so on. It can easily accumulate in the body, causing organ damage, for example, to the brain, heart, renal (kidney) system and reproductive system, with children and women being more vulnerable.

Experts say that the exposure of pregnant women to high levels of lead can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature births and low birth weight.

Lead also contributes to infertility in men, but in women, it poses a long-term danger of having babies with congenital abnormalities or disabilities. It also poses a long-term harm in adults of increased risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems and kidney damage, Dr Samuel Etajak of Makerere University School of Public Health said.

“Exposure to lead may affect libido, and semen quality by declining sperm count, motility (death), viability and sperm DNA integrity.

Maureen Anino assistant commissioner Ministry of Water and Environment in green chatting with officials after the meeting. (Credit: Agnes Kyotalengerire)

These alterations lead to a reduction in fertility potential, high chances of miscarriages, pre-term birth and soon in a partner,” another 2018 study published by the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest biomedical library, said.

“Lead exposure also affects female reproduction by impairing menstruation, reducing fertility potential, delaying conception time, altering hormonal production, circulation, affecting pregnancy and its outcome and so on.”

 How to avoid lead pollution

 The effects of lead pollution are particularly bad in children, hence the need to focus on quantifying the levels of lead in blood specifically targeting the children, Dr. Tebandeke said and he added: homesteads with old paint fillings especially the cream and yellow, should not allow children touch the dust because chances are high that it could be containing lead.

In Addition, children should not be scavenging for materials in waste disposal sites where they can get exposed to lead. Children should not get near battery recycling sites.

He faulted people who smelled batteries with children in the vicinity.

As such Dr. Tebandeke urged the relevant government authorities to ensure that this does not happen in communities, but also that recycling should be done in an environmentally sound manner, other than in the informal sector.

Factories venturing into manufacturing batteries should always encourage the public to take back used-up car batteries in exchange for new ones.

Dr. Tebandeke noted that when the batteries are left in the hands of the informal sector, they are cracked, pour away the electrolyte, and then smelt the lead. The products are sold on the local market or exported.

He urged the public to always return used-up batteries to manufacturers instead of leaving them in the garage. 

What does the law say

Akello noted that the National Environment Act and the chemical management regulation that stipulate how much lead should be used in industries are in place.

 “For us to have paint that contains more than what is allowed, it implies that the standards are not being enforced.”

Lead pollution in Uganda

Cookware is among the products containing high levels of lead, the preliminary assessment report on Rapid Market Screening (RMS) study in Uganda has revealed.

The study showed that 73% of metallic cookware sampled contained Lead concentrations exceeding 100 parts per million (ppm). The samples were primarily of aluminium, although this category also included some items made from brass, copper and iron alloys.

The same study also revealed that some cosmetics contain up to 2% Lead and herbal preparations or traditional medicine, such as 'emumbwa' had Lead poisoning levels of 100%.

The clay used to make 'emumbwa' is picked from wetlands that are already contaminated with deadly heavy metals.

The study was conducted in three districts of Kampala, Lira and Mbarara, specifically in Owino market, Lira and Mbarara central markets.

Findings presented in a preliminary lead assessment report, prepared by the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) in Collaboration with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) with support from Pure Earth, suggest widespread lead pollution in Uganda.

The assessment report was prepared under the Lead Exposure Mitigation Project and provides an overview of studies conducted on lead pollution in Uganda.

Lead is a key pigment commonly added to decorative paints used indoors and also serves to increase paint film durability, and moisture resistance and as a drying agent.

A recent study by Pure Earth showed that 16% of the 32 paint samples from Uganda intended for large surfaces exhibited lead levels exceeding the reference level of 90 ppm.

According to another about 67% of the 30 solvent-based paints for home use contained lead concentrations above 90 ppm. These findings indicate that paint is still a major exposure route, especially for children.

Lead poisoning burden

Lead exposure remains a significant global health risk. As of 2024, it is estimated that lead poisoning affects one in three children worldwide.

The 2019 World Health Organisation report indicated that more than 1 million deaths globally were attributed to lead exposure. The annual global death toll due to lead exposure represents only a small fraction of the health impacts of lead poisoning.