EcoWaste Coalition continues to expose illegal paints with lead content
4 August 2026, Quezon City. The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition sounded the alarm over the online sale of another China-made lead-containing spray paint brand, marketed for car touch-up, rust-proofing, graffiti, and other uses.
The group rang the alarm bell after detecting lead in three of five samples of Jiuniuxing Aerosol Spray Paint it obtained from online sellers, in violation of the country’s lead-paint regulation.
To recall, the manufacture, importation, distribution, and sale of paints containing lead above the maximum limit of 90 parts per million (ppm) is prohibited under the Chemical Control Order (CCO) promulgated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in 2013.
As per X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) screening conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition, the yellow, orange, and green Jiuniuxing paints contained 54,340 ppm, 44,320 ppm, and 37,340 ppm of lead, respectively, exceeding the 90 ppm limit.
Lead was not detected in the jade green and deep yellow Jiuniuxing paints, indicating paints can be produced without lead additives to enhance color and opacity, inhibit rust or corrosion, or speed up drying time.
As stated in the online product description, Jiuniuxing Aerosol Spray Paint can be used to “touch up scratches, refresh rims, give furniture a stunning new life, protect and beautify wood, and fight rust like a pro.” The phrase “paint graffiti” is also boldly written on the paint can.
Last week, the EcoWaste Coalition also revealed its discovery of six Corolla Spray Paints, made in China, with lead levels exceeding 100,000 ppm.
In an effort to uphold the lead paint ban and protect public health, the EcoWaste Coalition is demanding stricter import bans on paints containing lead.
The EcoWaste Coalition deplores the unbridled entry of imported paints containing lead, emphasizing the urgency of law enforcement action to protect public health.
Together with the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), they are campaigning to list lead chromates as hazardous chemicals under the Rotterdam Convention, aiming to tightly regulate the global trade of these dangerous pigments and paints containing them.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): “Lead is a metal and a multi-system toxicant for which no safe level of exposure has been identified. One major source of exposure, particularly for children, is through lead paint, or paint to which lead compounds have been added as pigments, drying agents or anti-corrosives.”
“Exposure to lead can cause chronic and debilitating health impacts in all age groups, and children are particularly vulnerable to its neurotoxic effects,” UNEP said.
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References:
https://chemical.emb.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DAO-2013-24-CCO-Lead.pdf
https://wedocs.unep.org/rest/api/core/bitstreams/a85eb6dd-9fb0-4638-ac3a-9b93e944f5f6/content
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health