KINGSTON, Jamaica — Poison Information Coordinator at the Caribbean Poison Information Network (CARPIN), Sherika Whitelocke-Ballingsingh, is encouraging people to be wary of the impact lead in paint can have on public health.

Whitelocke-Ballingsingh, who is also vice chair of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica's Paint and Surface Coatings Technical Committee, explained that while Jamaica has done an excellent job regarding lead content in paint, public education is vital in creating awareness around the dangers of the chemical.

“From the studies that were done by myself and the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences (ICENS), UWI in 2018, we have seen that there is virtually no lead in our paint in Jamaica,” she said. “Our major issue in Jamaica, is about the importation of paints that have the potential to expose our population to lead, we would like to now engage civil society and consumers in the discussion on how you are going to be more proactive, how you are going to be more cognisant of products that you purchase, that you take into the country and also how do you go about shopping for products within the market.”

In a release, Whitelocke-Ballingsingh said consumer engagement to include public education on the need for vigilance to prevent exposure to paint that is high in lead content, should be top priority.

“We need to engage persons on the public health impact that lead has, not only on a global basis but also within our country and the work that we have been doing as stakeholders, locally, as well as international stakeholders, the International Pollutant Elimination Network, the Global Alliance for Lead in Paint and our partners from the University of the West Indies,” she said pointing out that lead is a cumulative poison that has a particularly harmful effect on children.

 “One of the main problems that we know about lead is that the impact on children is irreversible. We are aware of the health burden, the deleterious impact on children in terms of IQ deficiency, impact of learning disability and the impact on health in terms of functional systems in the body,” she said.

The Poison Information Coordinator added that one of the best ways to lower the potential health burden within countries and have an effective intervention is to have a good legislative framework. Whitelocke-Ballingsingh argued that while many countries made legislative changes regarding lead in paint, the focus has largely been on decorative paint and not industrial paint.

She indicated that studies have shown that the lead in paint that is seen on the market is found in industrial paints, “which are used in our homes, our schools, to paint our fences, doors, windows and they are also used on other household items”.