Child and Adolescent Health Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2022 Aug 30;14(1):e1-e4. doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v14i1.3486.
Lead paint remains a major potential source of lead poisoning globally, but there has been no documentation on lead content in solvent paints available on the markets in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
To determine the lead content of solvent-based paints available on the market in Zimbabwe and Botswana and identify a need for a larger study to inform policy.
This pilot study was conducted in Harare, Zimbabwe, and Gaborone, Botswana. Popular brands of solvent-based household paints were bought from hardware shops in Harare (10 samples) and Gaborone (19 samples). Samples were analysed for lead content using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry.
Seventy percent of samples from Zimbabwe were found to contain lead above 90 parts per million (ppm), the recommended regulatory limit, with ranges from less than 60 ppm to 12 000 ppm. Twenty percent of Zimbabwean samples had lead levels above 10 000 ppm. No samples from Botswana had lead concentration above the detection limit, with all levels below 100 ppm.
Data strongly suggest very high lead content in popular brands of solvent paints in Zimbabwe, indicating a need for a larger, well-designed study for policy direction.
含铅油漆仍然是全球范围内铅中毒的一个主要潜在来源，但目前还没有关于津巴布韦和博茨瓦纳市场上溶剂油漆中铅含量的记录。
确定津巴布韦和博茨瓦纳市场上销售的溶剂型油漆中的铅含量，并确定是否需要进行更大规模的研究以提供政策依据。
这项初步研究在津巴布韦的哈拉雷和博茨瓦纳的哈博罗内进行。从哈拉雷（10 个样本）和哈博罗内（19 个样本）的五金店购买了受欢迎的溶剂型家用油漆品牌。使用电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法对样本中的铅含量进行分析。
70%的津巴布韦样本中的铅含量超过了 90ppm（百万分之九十）的建议监管限值，范围从低于 60ppm 到 12000ppm。20%的津巴布韦样本的铅含量超过了 10000ppm。博茨瓦纳没有样本的铅浓度超过检测限，所有样本的铅浓度都低于 100ppm。
数据强烈表明，津巴布韦广受欢迎的溶剂型油漆品牌中铅含量非常高，这表明需要进行更大规模、精心设计的研究，以提供政策方向。
