The Environmental Protection Agency Sierra Leone (EPA-SL), in collaboration with the Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP), recently hosted a Stakeholder Workshop and Press Conference at the Family Kingdom to announce new regulations aimed at eliminating lead in paints.

The move follows a 2024 study that found alarming levels of lead in nearly one in four paints tested in Freetown.

Lead is a potent neurotoxin known to cause severe health problems in children, even at low exposure levels. These include impaired IQ development, increased risk of chronic illnesses, and long-term detrimental effects on a nation’s future workforce.

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The study, a joint effort by the EPA-SL and LEEP, recommended establishing a legal limit of 90 parts per million (ppm) for total lead in paint. In response, EPA-SL announced it has developed new lead paint regulations, which it plans to enact into law. These regulations align with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and global best practices, with support from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the Sierra Leone Parliament.

The new regulations will apply to all paints manufactured, imported, or sold within Sierra Leone and will be enforced under the Environment Protection Agency Act (2022). Enforcement measures will include market testing and sampling, factory inspections, site visits, reviewing declarations of conformity, public awareness campaigns, reviewing permit applications, and imposing penalties for non-compliance.

LEEP has pledged to fund testing for the next three years and to support the development of local testing capacity within Sierra Leone.

A press statement detailing the research findings, the regulatory formulation process, and a phase-out period before the regulations become fully enforceable in 2026 was read during the event. The workshop and press conference concluded with a question-and-answer session.