Lead-heavy paint still widely sold in developing countries

Many paints sold in more 40 low-and middle-income countries, including nearly 70 percent of paints tested in the Philippines, contain dangerous levels of lead, sometimes in direct violation of national regulations, according to a new report released by IPEN, a global network of public and environmental health organizations.

The Global Lead Paint Report gathered data from paint studies conducted since 2009 in 46 low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The majority of these countries lack regulations limiting the lead content of paint.