Sikhumbuzo Moyo [email protected]
THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) is holding a one-day stakeholder awareness workshop in Bulawayo this Friday on new regulations banning the manufacture, importation, distribution and sale of paints containing excessive levels of lead.
The regulations, contained in Statutory Instrument 82 of 2026, are aimed at reducing exposure to hazardous lead substances, particularly among children and other vulnerable groups.
Officially known as the Environmental Management (Prohibition of Lead in Paint and Coating Materials) Regulations, 2026, the law sets the maximum permissible lead content in paints and coating materials at 90 parts per million (ppm), with operational enforcement scheduled for 2027.
According to EMA, the regulations cover paints intended for residential, commercial, institutional and industrial use.
Manufacturers and importers are required to ensure their products meet the prescribed lead limits through laboratory testing and proper documentation.
To enforce compliance, inspectors are empowered to conduct inspections at premises, collect paint samples for testing and take enforcement measures against non-compliant operators.
Those found violating the regulations risk fines of up to level 14, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
Lead exposure has been linked to serious health complications, including damage to the brain and nervous system, particularly in children, as well as kidney and reproductive disorders in adults.
Environmental and health experts have long called for tighter controls on lead-based paints, arguing that safer alternatives are readily available.
