Coatings update: heavy metal contamination in the paint industry, part 2

The Consumer Products Safety Commission in 1976 issued a report [Report PB‐257645 (1976)] with certain recommendations to help prevent lead poisoning in children. They surveyed two hundred studies related to lead poisoning in humans and animals with the objective of establishing a safe level of lead in paint. They concluded that blood lead concentrations of thirty micrograms per decilitre produce the first metabolic effects in children and that absorption of 4.5 milligrams per kilogram per day is associated with blood lead concentrations of 20 micrograms per decilitre. This lead to the conclusion that lead should not be added to paint and that a safe level of lead in paint is considered to be 0.06% by dry weight. The report also discussed the removal of old lead paint and made recommendations as to how this should be done so that both the workmen and the occupants of an area would be safe.