PAINT AS ANOTHER POSSIBLE SOURCE OF LEAD-EXPOSURE IN SAUDI-ARABIA

It has been long established at least in the UK and the USA, that lead in paint represents potentially an important source of lead intake, e specially for young children living in old houses who exhibit the habi t of pica. Pica for paint chips was identified as a major contributor to lead exposure early in this century (Strong 1920, Ruddock 1924). Th e association between childhood lead poisoning and ingestion of peelin g chips of lead containing house paint is well recognized (Barltrop an d Killala 1969; Stark et al. 1982; Chislom et at. 1985; Clark et al. 1 985; Rabinowitz et al. 1985). Lead-paints not only pose a danger becau se of peeling flakes but also act as a source of house dust and garden Soil contamination to which children are also exposed (Vostal et al. 1974; Bogden and Louria 1975; Charney et al. 1980; Que-Hee et al. 1985 ). Although the hazard from lead in new paint has been reduced substan tially during the 1950s and thereafter, there is still a potential haz ard from lead paint used for exterior surfaces in places accessible to children. In 1978, the Consumer Product Safety Commission in US banne d the manufacture of paint containing more than 0.06% lead by weight o n interior and exterior residential surfaces, toys, and furniture. Unf ortunately, lead-based paint that is still available for industrial, m ilitary, and marine usage occasionally ends up being used in homes. Al so, many buildings; especially those built before 1950 still contained lead-based paints on interior and exterior walls, window sills and ot her surfaces accessible to children. However, there is a general lack of knowledge of how widespread old-lead painted surfaces are. Preventi ng children from ingesting some of that paint remains a critical eleme nt in the control of exposure of urban children to lead. In Saudi Arab ia, childhood lead exposure has been associated with the use of tradit ional cosmetics and, remedies (Abdulla 1983; Al-Saleh 1990; Al-Saleh e t al. 1993). However, other sources, especially lead-based paint, can pose a hazard particularly to children. Because most modern houses and buildings in Saudi Arabia were built during the 1970s and 1980s, one could speculate the lead in paint does not represent a potential sourc e of lead exposure as in the West particularly for children prone to p ica. The Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) has established t hat lead in paint should not exceed 0.06% lead by weight (SASO 1986). This has led us to measure lead content in different brands of paint m anufactured in Saudi Arabia to check whether it is within the SASO per missible level.