Exposure to lead affects the health, especially of children. The lead is toxic for the body, including the central nervous system and the brain, the reproductive system, kidneys, the cardiovascular system and immune system. The lead is especially dangerous for the children’s brain as it affects the learning abilities and can cause behavioral problems. This is the message disseminated by representatives of the public association “EcoContact”, the National Public Health Center and the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment in connection with the celebration of the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action in Moldova during October 22-28.
Elena Jardan, head of the experimental toxicology lab of the National Public Health Center Elena Jardan, in a news conference at IPN, said exposure to lead during pregnancy or in childhood can have imprints for the whole life, including on studying, coordination, spatial orientation, sight and speech. Pregnant women exposed to elevated lead levels can lose the fetus or can give birth to a stillborn child or prematurely and the child can have small weight and malformations.
“EcoContact” chairman Andrei Isac said the lead-based paint is the main source of lead poisoning, especially in children. Thus, the decorative paint, such as the anti-corrosion one, is the main source of exposure to lead and this should be dealt with first. A study carried out by the association last year shows that about 57% of the solvent-based paints on the domestic market have a high lead content and five out of the 12 examined paint brands have dangerous lead concentrations. None of the 31 boxes of paint purchased during the research contains on labels information about the lead content and few producers describe in detail the chemical ingredients of paint.
Svetlana Bolocan, division head at the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, said that among the main sources of environmental pollution are the mining, melting, production and recycling and the use of lead- and gasoline-based paint in some countries. This substance is used in many other products like pigments, glass articles, toys, cosmetic products and pesticides, which are used in agriculture, and in exhaust gases.
A comprehensive study to assess the population’s general level of exposure to lead is now conducted in Moldova. Blood is used as a biomarker. Also, the central public authorities drafted an initiative on the production, importation and/or distribution of paint that contains lead.
