US companies selling lead paint and pigments abroad

Hazardous lead chromate pigments dominate paints sold in Mexico

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OK International

News Release 21-Apr-2026

San Francisco– A new study finds that lead chromate pigments are used in more than 90% of the lead paints that are being sold in Mexico. Lead Chromate is a well-known human carcinogen and a lead poisoning hazard.

The world’s largest paint company, Sherwin Williams continues to sell paints in Mexico with lead concentrations up to 8% lead.  The company was one of 46 paint companies marketing lead paint in Mexico through retail outlets.

The study “Lead Chromate Pigments Dominate Lead Paints Sold in Mexico” published online in the Annals of Work Exposures and Health found that 55% of consumer paints tested in Mexico contain lead pigments with many at extreme levels up to 29% lead. The lack of any regulatory limits on lead in paints in Mexico and the readily available global supply of lead chromate is resulting in serious health consequences for children and workers.

“Our findings that lead chromate is commonly used in Mexican paints applied to homes, schools, automobiles and roadways is alarming.” said Perry Gottesfeld, Executive Director of Occupational Knowledge International (OK International) an environmental non-profit. “These findings help explain why children in Mexico have three times greater blood lead levels than children in the U.S.” Gottesfeld added.

“The widespread use of lead chromate represents an unnecessary and avoidable hazard to public health,” says Sofía Chávez, the study´s coordinator and the Director of Casa Cem. She added, “We are calling for immediate restrictions on the manufacture, import and use of lead chromate and other lead compounds in all paints in Mexico.”

Lead chromate is one of the most common lead compounds used in paints and plastics and has been added to adulterated spices to enhance color. This chemical is also found in lipsticks, eye liner, rubber, ceramics, and printing inks.

Due to the hazardous nature of this chemical containing lead and hexavalent chromium – a known human carcinogen – we are calling for a ban on all uses. The European Union banned the use of this chemical in 2019 after demonstrating that there are safer alternatives for all applications.

Sherwin Williams has continued to sell lead paint in Mexico despite having been the subject of numerous lawsuits for poisoning children in the U.S. “Although we have reached out to this company in writing, they have denied our request to stop the production of lead paint” Gottesfeld added. More than a decade ago, in 2011, AkzoNobel – another global paint company –voluntarily agreed to stop the use of lead additives in all products.

Lead chromate accounts for 3% of worldwide lead consumption but is responsible for a much larger portion of the harm due to its widespread use in spices and other consumer products. The world’s largest chemical manufacturer BASF phased out the production of this chemical in 2012.

Blackstone and American Securities, two of the largest private equity firms in the U.S., are producing and distributing lead chromate in countries around the world. “We are asking Blackstone and American Securities to immediately stop making and marketing lead chromate.” said Sofia Chavez, Executive Director of Casa Cem, a leading environmental organization in Mexico.

Lead chromates are widely used in road marking paints causing exposures to workers and adding costs for the eventual removal process to address the occupational exposure  and for hazardous waste disposal.  This use of lead chromate in road paints is a significant source of emissions of lead dust and water from contaminated runoff.

The use of lead chromate in paints and plastics is legal in most countries in the world although it has been known for more than 100 years that lead in paint results in harmful exposures to children who come in contact with these materials and to workers during the manufacture, application, and removal of these coatings. In 2009 more than 120 countries voted unanimously at the UN International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) to eliminate the use of lead in all paints and coatings.

Unregulated lead exposures are causing ongoing IQ loss, lower school performance, an increase in antisocial, aggressive and violent behaviors in children and increased rates of heart attacks and deaths among adults.  More than 3.5 million deaths a year are attributed to lead exposure.