In 1963 a voluntary agreement was made between the then Paintmakers' Association, now the British Coatings Federation, and the UK Government that resulted in labeling of paint that contained more than 1% of lead in dry film, with a warning that it should not be applied to surfaces accessible to children.
In 1992 European Union legislation[3] was implemented within the UK by the Environmental Protection, part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), as the Controls on Injurious Substances Regulations.
Red lead in paint was not banned by the 1992 legislation[4] or by more recent EU REACH regulations[5] and the SPAB confirm it is technically available in the UK but only by special licence.
[6] In practice however it has been replaced by safer alternatives (such as red oxide[7]) by most UK/EU paint suppliers; and indeed of those that still supply it, some mistakenly assume it is covered by the 1992 regulations and request approval from a 'competent body' before purchase.
[8] Until the early 1970s red, yellow, orange and green lead-based pigments (lead chromate) were added to a limited number of decorative coloured gloss and wall paints.
However a last minute request for authorization by the Canadian pigment producer Dominion Colour Corporation (DCC) has had preliminary support by the European Chemicals Agency,[10][11] which if approved could see its use continue in road markings until 2022 or later.