Minister Barbara Creecy to handover XRF Lead Analyser Testing equipment to the Department Of Health

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, will on Friday, 28 October 2022, handover lead-analysing testing equipment to the Department of Health as part of government’s efforts to monitor and restrict harmful lead-based paint and other products from entering the country.

Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, kidney and brain damage, and death. According to World Health Organization (WHO), lead exposure caused nearly half a million deaths in 2016 and the majority of these deaths occurred in low and middle-income developing countries.

The handover event forms part of the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Awareness Campaign which serves to remind governments, civil society organisations, health practitioners and industry of the unacceptable risks of lead exposure and need for action.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has procured testing equipment which will be placed at the various ports of entry (borders) to enhance efforts to confiscate any suspected and non-compliant products. Minister Creecy will be joined by the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Sibongiseni Dhlomo, who will receive the equipment on behalf of the Department of Health.

Source: Government of South Africa