Manufacturers tipped on lead-free alternatives to curb pollution

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Environmental experts have urged manufacturers to adopt alternative sources to lead in order to curb pollution.

Lead pollution affects the entire human body, including the central nervous system and various organs.

“We want manufacturers to do due diligence and use alternatives that are lead-free,” Dr Emmanuel Tebandeke, head of the Department of Chemistry at Makerere University and coordinator of the Lead Exposure Mitigation Project in Uganda, said.

Dr Tebandeke explained that they plan to engage manufacturers depending on the value chain. For example, with lead-based paint, they will be talking to both manufacturers and users.

He said there are non-lead-based pigments available, and manufacturers are already aware of these alternatives.

Previously, metallic pipes were used in plumbing activities, but they would corrode, peel off and contaminate water. That water would then be used for drinking and cooking. Today, metallic water pipes have been replaced with gasoline pipes, said Leila Akello, NEMA’s senior manager for environmental compliance.

“We want to eliminate the sources so as to prevent and protect ourselves from lead pollution. As such, we want people to know the dangers associated with lead and be cautious,” Akello noted.

The Assistant Commissioner at the Ministry of Water and Environment, Maureen Anino, said the ministry has conducted studies which revealed various sources of lead pollution.

Anino cited plumbing materials as one of the point sources of lead pollution, particularly old materials. Meanwhile, off-point sources include other forms of contamination affecting water bodies.

Dr Innocent Achaye, the head of the Division of Chemical Safety, Radiation and Pollution Prevention at the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), confirmed the presence of lead in communities.

“Identifying the sources of lead pollution in the country is critical because you cannot solve a problem that you do not know,” Dr Achaye said.

He further noted that there are sectors where the country must ensure lead-free operations. As such, the agency is targeting specific value chains for batteries, paints, cosmetics and pipes used to transfer water to homes and industries.

Dr Achaye added that NEMA will, in due course, examine all the different value chains and work collaboratively with global actors on lead pollution to ensure sustainability in how lead is used in the country.

These remarks were made during a recent multi-stakeholder meeting and press conference on the lead pollution awareness campaign in Uganda, held at Hotel Africana in Kampala.

Health dangers of lead

Lead is a heavy metal used in lead-acid batteries, as a colouring agent in paints, and in metal alloys, shielding materials, smelters, printing presses, and other products.

It can accumulate easily in the body, causing damage to organs such as the brain, heart, kidneys, and the reproductive system. Children and women are particularly vulnerable.

Experts warn that pregnant women exposed to high levels of lead face increased risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and low birth weight.

Lead also contributes to infertility in men. In women, it increases the likelihood of giving birth to babies with congenital abnormalities or disabilities. In adults, it raises the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, and kidney damage, said Dr Samuel Etajak of Makerere University School of Public Health.

“Exposure to lead may affect libido, semen quality by declining sperm count, motility (death), viability and sperm DNA integrity.

These alterations lead to a reduction in fertility potential, high chances of miscarriages, pre-term birth and so on in a partner,” another 2018 study published by the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest biomedical library, said.

“Lead exposure also affects female reproduction by impairing menstruation, reducing fertility potential, delaying conception time, altering hormonal production and circulation, affecting pregnancy and its outcome and so on.”

How to avoid lead pollution

The effects of lead pollution are especially harmful to children, which is why it is important to quantify lead levels in the blood, specifically among children, Dr Tebandeke said.

He added that households with old paint fillings, especially cream and yellow, should not allow children to touch the dust, as it may contain lead.

Additionally, children should not scavenge in waste disposal sites, where they risk lead exposure, nor should they be near battery recycling locations. He criticised those who do battery smelting with children nearby.

Dr Tebandeke urged government authorities to ensure such practices do not occur in communities and that battery recycling is conducted in an environmentally sound manner, not by the informal sector.

Factories manufacturing batteries should encourage customers to return used car batteries in exchange for new ones.

He noted that when batteries are left in the informal sector, they are cracked open, the electrolyte is discarded, and the lead is smelted and sold locally or exported.

The public, he urged, should return used batteries to manufacturers rather than leaving them in garages.

What the law says

Akello noted that the National Environment Act and the chemical management regulations stipulate how much lead can be used in industries.

“For us to have paint that contains more than what is allowed, it implies that the standards are not being enforced.”

Lead pollution in Uganda

Cookware is among the products containing high levels of lead, according to a preliminary assessment report from the Rapid Market Screening (RMS) study in Uganda.

The study showed that 73% of metallic cookware samples contained lead concentrations exceeding 100 parts per million (ppm). Most of the samples were aluminium, but the category also included brass, copper, and iron alloys.

The same study found that some cosmetics contain up to 2% lead. Herbal preparations or traditional medicines, such as emumbwa, had lead contamination levels of 100%. The clay used to make emumbwa is often sourced from wetlands already contaminated with the heavy metal.

The study was conducted in Kampala, Lira and Mbarara, specifically targeting Owino Market, Lira and Mbarara central markets.

Findings were presented in a preliminary lead assessment report prepared by the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) in collaboration with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), with support from Pure Earth. The report suggests widespread lead pollution in Uganda.

The assessment was done under the Lead Exposure Mitigation Project and provides an overview of studies on lead pollution in Uganda.

Lead is a key pigment commonly added to decorative paints used indoors. It increases paint film durability and moisture resistance and acts as a drying agent.

A recent study by Pure Earth found that 16% of 32 paint samples in Uganda intended for large surfaces exceeded the lead reference level of 90 ppm.

Another study showed that about 67% of 30 solvent-based home-use paints contained lead concentrations above 90 ppm. These findings indicate that paint remains a major exposure route, especially for children.

Lead poisoning burden

Lead exposure continues to pose a major global health risk. As of 2024, it is estimated that one in three children worldwide is affected by lead poisoning. A 2019 World Health Organization report indicated that over one million deaths globally were attributed to lead exposure.

The annual global death toll, however, represents only a small fraction of the overall health impacts of lead poisoning.