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Painting your house this Diwali? Don't be mis-'lead'
Published on Wed, Sep 12, 2007 at 23:30 in 
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DEADLY COAT: The ECO mark was found on ICI paints containers.
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New Delhi: After toys, it's paints that are toying with toxins.
A recent study by the NGO Toxics link found that most enamel paints had lead content higher than permissible limits and some contained as high as 1,40,000 parts per million.
This is well above the voluntary Indian standard of 1000 ppm or 0.1 per cent. These paints are used on grills, furniture, wooden moldings and walls.
“We tested all national and international brands, more than 600 ppm of lead and 60 per cent had 5000 ppm of Lead in them,” Ravi Agarwal of Toxics link.
Sanding during re-modelling or repainting also releases paint particles containing lead in the air. Inhaling this is bad news for your health.
“Chronic exposure can mean abdominal problem, bone-related illness and lowered intellect,” says Suranjit Chatterjee of Apollo Hospital.
According to Toxics Link, the presence of lead in water-based and plastic paints was well below the danger mark. Among enamel paints, only one brand of paint had samples that adhered to the Indian Voluntary standard called the ECO mark.
While the NGO's report doesn't mention the company's name, the ECO mark was found on ICI paints containers.
“Lead was taken out of paints internationally 40 years ago. The same brands selling their ware here don't have lead in their products abroad,” says Agarwal.
The study reveals a grim truth that when you decide to re-paint your home this Diwali, the brightest colours may not be the safest.
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