Chemical safety
ILO joins global efforts to prevent exposure to lead
In March 2019, the ILO joined the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (the Alliance), a voluntary partnership formed by UN Environment and the World Health Organization to prevent exposure to lead, while promoting the phase-out of paints containing lead.
The ILO has long recognized the dangers of lead exposure for human health, evidenced by the Lead Poisoning (Women and Children) Recommendation (No. 4) – one of the first legal standards of the ILO, developed in 1919. Understanding that the protection of workers from the harmful effects of chemicals also enhances the protection of the general public and the environment, the ILO further promotes its legal standards on exposures to hazardous substances, including the Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170). The ILO looks forward to working in collaboration with its social partners towards the achievement of Alliance goals, while furthering its actions to protect workers from hazardous chemical exposures along global supply chains.