Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead. As pigment, lead(II) chromate (, "chrome yellow"), lead(II,IV) oxide (, "red lead"), and lead(II) carbonate (, "white lead") are the most common forms.. Lead is added to paint to accelerate drying, increase durability, maintain a fresh appearance, and resist moisture that causes corrosion. It is one of the main health and environmental hazards associated with paint. Lead paint has been generally phased out of use due to the toxic nature of lead. Alternatives such as water-based, lead-free traffic paint are readily available.
In many countries, lead paint remains permitted for domestic use, whereas in other jurisdictions, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, there are regulations prohibiting or restricting its use. However, lead paint may still be found in older properties painted prior to the introduction of such regulations. Although lead has been banned from household paints in the United States since 1978, it may still be found in road marking paint and artists' paints.
History White lead was being produced during the 4th century BC; the process is described by Pliny the Elder, Vitruvius, and the ancient Greek author Theophrastus.
The traditional method of making the pigment was called the stack process. Hundreds or thousands of earthenware pots containing vinegar and lead were embedded in a layer of either tan bark or cow dung. The pots were designed so that the vinegar and lead were in separate compartments, but the lead was in contact with the vapor of the vinegar. The lead was usually coiled into a spiral and placed on a ledge inside the pot. The pot was loosely covered with a grid of lead, which allowed the carbon dioxide formed by the fermentation of the tan bark or the dung to circulate in the pot. Each layer of pots was covered by a new layer of tan, then another layer of pots. The heat created by the fermentation, acetic acid vapor, and carbon dioxide within the stack did their work, and within a month the lead coils were covered with a crust of white lead. This crust was separated from the lead, washed, and ground for pigment. This was an extremely dangerous process for the workmen. Medieval texts warned of the danger of "apoplexy, epilepsy, and paralysis" from working with lead white.Daniel V. Thompson, The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting, pp. 90–91.
In 1786, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter warning a friend about the hazards of lead and lead paint, which he considered well-established. Despite the risks, the pigment was very popular with artists because of its density and opacity; a small amount could cover a large surface. It was widely used by artists until the 19th century, when it was replaced by zinc white and titanium white.Philip Ball (2000), Bright Earth, Art and the Invention of Colour, pg. 99.
The dangers of lead paint were considered well-established by the beginning of the 20th century. In the July 1904 edition of its monthly publication, Sherwin-Williams reported the dangers of paint containing lead, noting that a French expert had deemed lead paint "poisonous in a large degree, both for the workmen and for the inhabitants of a house painted with lead colors". As early as 1886, German health laws prohibited women and children from working in factories processing lead paint and lead sugar., sections 26 & 121
The League of Nations began efforts to ban lead paint in 1921.
Toxicity
Lead paint is hazardous. It can cause nervous system damage, stunted growth, kidney damage, and delayed development. It is associated with high violent crime rates. It is dangerous to children because it tastes sweet, therefore encouraging children to put lead chips and toys with lead dust in their mouths. Lead paint can cause reproductive problems, including a decrease in sperm concentration in men. Lead is also considered a likely carcinogen. High levels of exposure can be lethal. Several methods exist to test for the presence of lead in paint, including analysis in a laboratory and various at-home tests, with varying efficacies. Spot test kits for lead are sold to consumers, but were found by one study to have high error rates.
Regulation , these are the places with confirmed lead paint laws according to the WHO Global Health Observatory Database:
Africa Algeria Cameroon Ethiopia Kenya Morocco (new since 1 January 2021) South Africa Tanzania Latin America and the Caribbean Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominic Ecuador Guyana Mexico Panama Peru (new since 1 January 2021) Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay West Asia Iraq Israel Jordan (existing laws revised) Lebanon Qatar Oman Asia and the Pacific Australia Bangladesh China India Kyrgyzstan Laos (new since 1 January 2021) Nepal New Zealand Pakistan Philippines Sri Lanka Thailand Vietnam Europe Armenia Austria Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia (new since 1 January 2021) Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey (new since 16 January 2024) Ukraine (new since 1 January 2021) United Kingdom North America Canada United States
Africa
South Africa In South Africa, the Hazardous Substances Act of 2009 classified lead as a hazardous substance and limited its use in paint to 600 parts per million (ppm). An amendment taking effect in May 2025 modified this to 90 ppm. The amendment also included all industrial paints, which were previously excluded. From May 2026, all packaging must also comply, displaying the text "Conforms with the South African legal lead limit of 90 ppm or less".
Elsewhere in Africa As of January 2026, Burundi, Democratic Republic Congo, Niger, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe have all made progress towards a regulatory framework on lead reduction.
Canada In Canada, regulations were first enacted under the Hazardous Products Act in 1976 that limited lead content of paints and other liquid coatings on furniture, household products, children's products, and exterior and interior surfaces of any building frequented by children to 0.5% by weight. New regulations on surface coating materials, which came into force in 2005, further limit lead to its background level for both interior and exterior paints sold to consumers. Canadian paint manufacturers have been conforming to this background level in their interior and exterior consumer paints since 1991. Nevertheless, a Canadian company, Dominion Colour Corporation, is "the largest manufacturer of lead-based paint pigments in the world" and has faced public criticism for obtaining permission from the European Chemicals Agency to continue to export lead chromate paints from its Dutch subsidiary to countries where its uses are not tightly regulated.
China New regulation effective from 1 December 2020 updates an older lead paint standard introduced in the 1980s, which measured soluble lead in products instead of total lead. Measuring soluble lead is considered to be a less accurate method for measuring the amount of lead paint exposure in children. The new standards set a 90 ppm total lead limit for woodware coatings and architectural wall coatings. For vehicle and industrial coatings the new total lead limit is 1,000 ppm.
European Union Lead paint is addressed by several EU laws in the European Union. The 2003 Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) forbids hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). The EU 2006 REACH Regulation addresses the production and use of chemical substances, and their potential impacts on both human health and the environment, and it has been described as the most complex legislation in the European Union's history. These acts superseded and harmonized existing laws of the member states, many of which had banned lead paint years before.
To protect the health of painters, France had passed in 1909 a law banning the use of paints containing lead for the painting of the interior and exterior of all buildings.
Hong Kong , there are no regulation and legislation on lead content in paints. Furthermore, unlike the U.S., which implemented stricter rules in 2010, renovators in Hong Kong do not need to be certified when performing lead paint related works. Methods used to remove lead-based-paint (e.g., use of power tools) are not regulated as well. The use of HEPA-filtered vacuum or a HEPA filtered dust collection system is also not mandatory. No dust test on lead level is required upon the end of any renovation or remodeling job.
India Lead paint was not prohibited in India until 2016. A 2015 study found that over 31% of household paints in India (small brands manufactured by small and medium enterprises in India, with limited local reach and distribution) had lead concentration above 10,000 parts per million (ppm), which far exceeds the BIS standard of 90 ppm for lead in paint. The Regulation on Lead Contents in Household and Decorative Paint Rules came into effect on 1 November 2017, according to which the paints should have lead less than 90 ppm and their label should say so. However, two years later, an analysis of 32 locally-manufactured paint samples from nine states found lead content ranging from 10 ppm to 186,062 ppm, with 90% of samples having lead levels above 90 ppm.
Philippines The Philippines banned lead paint in 2013, but in 2017, 15% of the paint still was not certified. The EcoWaste Coalition and the Philippine Association of Paint Manufacturers declared on 1 January 2020 that the Philippines has phased-out lead paint following the implementation of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order 2013–24, or the Chemical Control Order for Lead and Lead Compounds, which directed manufacturers of lead-containing paints for industrial uses to phase out such paints by 31 December 2019.
Singapore Since 1 February 1995, labelling is required for paints with total lead concentrations exceeding 600 ppm. From 3 January 2022, the manufacture, import and sale of paints exceeding 90ppm total lead concentration for local use were banned, except for zinc-based anti-corrosion paints and copper-based anti-fouling paints. For export and re-export a Hazardous Substance Licence is required ( except for zinc-based anti-corrosion paints and copper-based anti-fouling paints). For local sale of zinc-based anti-corrosion paints and copper-based anti-fouling paints exceeding 90ppm total lead concentration labelling is required and only industrial uses are allowed.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, lead paint was banned from sale to the general public in 1992, except for specialist uses.
United States