The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) of Sierra Leone has commenced enforcement of the Lead Paint Regulations 2025, introducing stringent measures to regulate the manufacturing, importation, distribution and sale of paint products containing hazardous levels of lead, as part of efforts to protect public health, particularly the health and development of children.
The enforcement announcement, issued in Freetown on 30 October 2026, follows the expiration of a one-year moratorium granted after the regulations were passed into law in March 2025. With the transitional period now over, paint manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers are required to comply with the national standards governing lead content in paint products.
Under the regulations, all paints manufactured, imported or sold in Sierra Leone must contain no more than 90 parts per million (ppm) of total lead. The measure is intended to prevent hazardous paint products from entering the domestic market and reduce the risk of lead poisoning among consumers.
The EPA explained that enforcement would be undertaken in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau, the Customs Department, the National Revenue Authority, the Sierra Leone Police and the Ministries of Trade and Industry and Transport and Aviation.
These institutions will support inspections, regulatory monitoring and compliance activities to ensure that businesses operating within the paint industry adhere to the prescribed safety requirements.
The introduction of stricter controls follows growing concerns about the dangers associated with lead exposure, particularly among children whose developing brains and nervous systems are especially vulnerable to its harmful effects.
According to the EPA, lead is a highly toxic substance with no known safe level of exposure. Even relatively small amounts can cause permanent neurological damage, reduce intelligence quotient (IQ), impair learning abilities and contribute to behavioural difficulties among children.
The Agency disclosed that the regulations were informed by a 2024 study conducted in partnership with the Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP), which found that nearly one in four paint samples tested in Freetown contained hazardous levels of lead.
The findings raised serious concerns about the safety of paint products available in the country and highlighted the need for a legally enforceable framework to protect consumers from potentially dangerous substances.
Following the study, the EPA and its partners recommended the introduction of a national limit of 90 ppm for total lead content in paint. The recommendation subsequently informed the development of the Lead Paint Regulations 2025.
To strengthen its capacity to enforce the regulations, the EPA, with technical support from LEEP, has secured access to an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyser, which enables inspectors to detect lead content in paint products within seconds.
The equipment is expected to improve market surveillance, facilitate rapid identification of non-compliant products and support appropriate regulatory action against manufacturers, importers and suppliers found violating the prescribed standards.
As part of preparations for enforcement, 18 EPA personnel completed a four-day technical training programme in July 2026 on the operation of the XRF analyser.
The training has enhanced the Agency’s ability to conduct independent inspections and identify potentially hazardous paint products without relying entirely on external laboratory facilities.
In a significant development, a follow-up market survey conducted by the EPA in July 2026, with support from LEEP, found that all 23 paint brands sampled contained lead levels below the national limit of 90 ppm.
The results represent an encouraging improvement compared with the 2024 findings, when nearly one-quarter of the paint samples examined in Freetown contained hazardous concentrations of lead.
However, the EPA maintained that the positive findings would not reduce its commitment to regular monitoring and enforcement, stressing that locally manufactured and imported paint products would remain subject to inspection.
The Agency also disclosed that a local paint manufacturer had been tested and verified to be producing lead-free paint, demonstrating the capacity of domestic manufacturers to comply with the new safety requirements.
Consumers have consequently been encouraged to purchase paint products from manufacturers and suppliers that meet the prescribed standards, while businesses have been urged to ensure that their products are properly tested and certified.
According to the EPA, most businesses operating within the paint industry have already signed Declarations of Conformity, confirming their commitment to complying with the regulations.
The declarations are expected to be displayed at strategic locations within business premises to promote transparency and reassure customers about compliance with national safety requirements.
Businesses that have not completed the process have been encouraged to do so without delay, as the Agency warned that violations would attract penalties under the applicable regulatory framework.
The enforcement initiative follows extensive consultations and public awareness activities involving paint manufacturers, media organisations, school nature clubs and other stakeholders.
These engagements, including discussions at the Collaborating Learning and Adapting (CLA26) Conference, helped raise awareness about the dangers of lead exposure and encouraged manufacturers to adopt safer production practices.
The EPA noted that Sierra Leone is among the first Anglophone African countries to introduce national lead paint controls aligned with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regulation C/REG.13/07/23, adopted in 2023.
The national limit of 90 ppm is also consistent with the regulatory approach promoted by the United Nations Environment Programme to support the global elimination of lead paint.
The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned that lead exposure remains a major public health concern, particularly for children and pregnant women, because of its potentially irreversible effects on the brain, kidneys and other vital organs.
Beyond protecting individual consumers, the regulations are expected to encourage responsible manufacturing, improve product safety and strengthen public confidence in paint products available on the Sierra Leonean market.
The EPA reaffirmed its commitment to sustained enforcement, public education and cooperation with relevant institutions to ensure that hazardous lead-containing paints are progressively eliminated from the country’s supply chain.
With the regulations now being enforced, the Agency has emphasized that compliance is mandatory, signaling a stronger national commitment to protecting public health, promoting environmental safety and safeguarding future generations from preventable lead exposure.
