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CAA paints over lead content to court manufacturers
The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), in a revised gazette notification, No.1985 /38 of September 23, 2016, has relaxed the stipulation that all manufacturers and traders of paint, varnish and solvents exhibit the exact lead content in their products.
Accordingly, the new stipulation requires that the labels on all paints, varnishes an solvents products indicate it does not exceed the maximum amount of lead permitted by the CAA.
Earlier, the CAA, in a gazette notification, No.1875/38 of August 2014, had stated that the exact lead content in every product be stipulated in its label.
Following this, paint companies went to courts arguing that labeling the exact lead content on every product is not possible. They conceded that, as the products were manufactured in batches of tens of thousands of litres, it is not possible to have each product tested.
CAA Director General, A.K.D.D.D. Arandara said that, following the court proceedings, the CAA had agreed to court that the stipulation be relaxed to, ‘not exceeding the permissible maximum amount of lead’.
“We realized their difficulty in testing each and every product and agreed to have the clause amended,” he said.
The permissible maximum amount of lead in all paint, varnish and solvent products has been fixed at 90 mg per kg.
The Centre for Environmental Justice which initially took up the issue of high lead content in paint, varnishes and solvents, in courts in 2011, said the move will make it easier for the manufacturing companies.
Executive Director, Hemantha Withanage said it is impossible for manufacturing companies to test each and every product, and the new criteria will enable manufacturers to keep down the cost of paints. “This is good and will still monitor the products,” he said.