Lead levels in paint flakes from buildings in Nigeria: a preliminary study

Lead is a malleable metal previously used to improve the durability and color luster of paint applied in homes and on industrial structures such as bridges. Lead has deleterious effects on multiple organs in humans. There is paucity of information on the extent of the use of lead-based paint in Nigerian houses. This study has attempted to estimate the extent of use of lead-based paint in buildings in Eastern Nigeria using 168 buildings. Flaked paint samples were collected from residential, church, commercial, and school buildings from four most populous cities in Eastern Nigeria namely Enugu, Onitsha, Aba, and Port Harcourt, and they were digested using conc HNO(3):HCLO(4) (1:1) and analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The lead levels from buildings in Enugu ranged from 39.385 +/- 1.111-69.843 +/- 4.886 mg/kg. The highest level of lead was found in Onitsha ranging from 49.503 +/- 0.000-74.352 +/- 0.571 mg/kg. Residential buildings, which mainly serve the under privileged populations, has the highest lead level in this study. In Aba, the highest lead level (66.432 +/- 0.013 mg/kg) was found in commercial buildings aged 5-10 years. The lead levels in paint flakes from buildings in the four cities tended to decrease with increasing age of the buildings. Taken together all the building paint flakes from the four cities had lead levels higher than the United States Environmental Protection Agency permissible level of 5 mg/kg. There is a need for primary intervention strategy to reduce the paint lead levels in Nigeria.