These are some keys dates regarding use of lead in the UK plus a few other countries for comparison.
- 1909 – France, Belgium, and Austria ban white lead-based interior paint (Markowitz and Rosner, 2000).
- 1921 – The International Labour Organisation adopted a proposal on the use of white lead in paint:
- Prohibited in the internal painting of buildings,
- Permissible to use white pigments containing a maximum of 2 per cent of lead,
- The employment of males under eighteen years of age and of all females shall be prohibited in any painting work of an industrial character involving the use of white lead or sulphate of lead,
- measures shall be taken, wherever practicable, to prevent danger arising from dust caused by dry rubbing down and scraping.
- 1922 – 1926 ILO convention adopted by Estonia, Sweden, Austria, Spain, Poland, Latvia, Bulgaria, Chile, Romania, France, Belgium, Greece. Many other countries followed, but not the UK.
- 1920s – Tetraethyllead starts to be added to petrol (Hansard, 1998).
- 1963 – Voluntary labelling of paints containing more than 1% (-/+ 0.5% ) lead with the warning “do not apply on surfaces which might be chewed by children”. (Johnson, Barlow and Barratt, 1984).
- 1968 – Low lead paint identified as 0.5% lead. (British Standard 4310).
- 1970 – Lead pipes no longer used for drinking water (Water Treatment Services).
- 1973 – Peak emission of lead from transport (National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory).
- 1977 – EU labelling requirement where lead in paint exceeds 0.5% “Should not be used on surfaces liable to be chewed or sucked by children”.(Johnson, Barlow and Barratt, 1984)
- 1978 – Lead paint banned in the USA. Congressional Research Service, 2013).
- 1986 – Japan is the first country to ban leaded petrol (Autocar, 1989)
- 1992 – EU lead paint ban ratified by the UK. (The Environmental Protection (Controls on Injurious Substances) Regulations).
- 2000 – Leaded petrol banned in the UK by EU regulations (Directive 98/70/EC).
- 2006 – New electrical and electronic equipment put on the EU market must not contain lead “RoHS” (Directive 2002/95/EC).
- 2015 – EU ban on articles mouthed by children with more than 0.05% lead. Unless release is less than 0.05μg Pb/g/hour. (Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/628).
- 2015 – Completion of the voluntary replacement of lead stabilisers used in PVC (European Stabilisers Producers Association).
- 2019 – Sale of pigments containing lead chromates (used in road paint) is declared illegal (IPEN 2019).
With thanks to the sources of this information, particularly Heritage Testing. The earliest reference found for each entry is used.
