Abstract
It has been recognized that lead poisoning in children in the United States is mainly caused by lead-containing paints. In order to clarify whether children in Japan are safe from lead poisoning or not, lead content in paints collected from junior high schools, elementary schools, a kindergarten, nursery schools and parks by atomic absorption spectrophotometry were investigated.
Forty-two by forty-four samples containing more than 0.06% of lead, which is the regulatory limit by CPSC in the United States, were found and 34/44 samples containing more than 0.5% of lead, which is the level targeted for lead hazard control measures cited in the 1992 Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act, were found.
From those analytical data, it was clarified that children in Japan are not always safe from lead poisoning and further investigation should be undertaken to obtain more exact information.
