Kathleen Ruff, RightOnCanada.ca
Lead-containing paint is still being widely used in more than 40 countries, causing terrible harm, particularly to children.
Dominion Colour Corporation in Toronto, Canada, is the world’s biggest producer of lead pigment used to make lead paint. It exports its lead-containing pigment all over the world.
A Global Alliance. led by led by the World Health Organization and the UN Environment Programme, is striving to eliminate lead paint. Many companies have switched to safer alternatives without suffering any business problems. Dominion has rejected requests to stop using lead and is blocking a planned EU ban on the use of lead chromates in paint.
- Please sign the action below and circulate this request widely.
- Thank you for caring and for taking action.
Tell Dominion Colour Corporation to stop the use of lead in paint
More information
- Lead poisoning is one of the most pervasive, well-established and preventable environmental hazards worldwide.
- Lead causes 674,000 deaths each year around the world.
- Even low-level exposures impact children’s ability to learn.
- An estimated 240 million children, mostly in low-to-middle income countries are over-exposed to lead.
- Most of these countries have no regulations on the use of lead additives in paints.
- According to the World Health Organization, childhood lead exposure is estimated to contribute to about 600,000 new cases of children developing intellectual disabilities every year.
- Countries, such as Canada, U.S. and the European Union, continue to export over 25,000 tons of lead–containing pigments annually.
- The world’s largest paint company, AkzoNobel, voluntarily agreed in 2011 to stop the use of lead additives in all products.
- Dominion Colour Corporation produces and sells both non-lead pigments and lead pigments.
- Most of Dominion Colour Corporation’s lead pigments are exported and sold overseas.
- On November 24, 2014, a number of environmental and health organisations wrote to Dominion Colour Corporation asking it to stop selling lead pigments and join the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint.
- On December 19, 2014, Dominion Colour Corporation responded without making any commitment to stop selling lead pigments.
- Another letter was sent on January 22, 2015, asking the company to support ending all use of lead in paint and to cease opposing the EU initiative to end use of lead chromate pigments.
- Dominion Colour Corporation did not respond.
- The EU Committee is currently considering Dominion Colour Corporation’s application and will vote on the issue later this year.
- The European Environmental Bureau, Europe’s largest federation of environmental organisations with over 140 member organisations, has expressed shock that a Canadian company is seeking to set back progress that has been achieved over the past several years to stop use of leaded paint.
- Lead poisoning is entirely preventable.
Resources
- Global alliance to Eliminate Lead in Paint | Link
- Occupational Knowledge International | Link
- Occupational Knowledge International, petition to US paint companies | Link
- International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, Call For Action For Global Control Of Lead | Link
- World Health Organization, Lead poisoning and health Fact sheet N°379,October 2014 | Link
July 14th, 2015 at 2:44 am
Totally agree we are based in the uk making road marking paints and stopped using lead chromate over a year ago.The biggest roadmarking supplier has also stopped using lead chromate and yet DCC say there is no alternative to their product.
July 14th, 2015 at 5:37 am
I fully support the campaign to stop the use of led in paints.
Led is harmful for the environment and our health.
July 14th, 2015 at 8:32 pm
To Dominion Colour Corporation:
Please stop using lead chromate pigments in your paint. Is this the legacy you choose to leave behind ? Causing death and brain damage to millions of people worldwide. We’ve known of the dangers to human health from lead for centuries. And your reason for continuing to use it ? Well, enjoy your millions of dollars of profits at the cost of human misery.
July 20th, 2015 at 3:16 pm
Stop adding lead pigments to your products since it causes harm to children especially in the developing countries.
January 5th, 2016 at 11:19 pm
Stop exporting death and disability to children and adults in other countries. When we recognize and stop the harm to our own citizens through legislation, ethical companies stop exporting this harm and injury to other our fellow citizens in the rest of the world community. Step up, Dominion Canada. Get the lead out!