At the corner of Sei Batanghari Road in Medan, the capital of Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, kindergarten students run around a building in their school uniforms. The bell to call them back to class hasn’t rung yet. Most of the kids are enjoying the playground’s slides and swings. Almost all of the playground equipment is painted in bright primary colours: yellow and red, blue and green. In their classrooms, the tables and chairs are also painted bright colours.

A similar scene plays out in nearby Beringin Park, in front of the governor’s office, where more children play on playground equipment provided by the local government. Much of the equipment here is also coated in bright shades of red, yellow and blue paint.

Medan is hardly unique in this regard; many cities feature public facilities for kids painted in bright colours. But in Indonesia, those shades of paint, meant to make things appear more kid-friendly, actually makes them more of a serious health risk to children, according to a new study showing that a large percentage of the paints produced and used in Indonesia, particularly the brightly coloured kinds used around children, contain dangerously high levels of lead.

The study was produced by the Nexus3 Foundation, an Indonesian nonprofit working to safeguard the public from environmental toxins, and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN). It found that most wood and metal paints in Indonesia still contain high concentrations of lead, many with more than 600 parts per million (ppm), the regulatory safe limit.

Heavy metals like lead are particularly toxic for children. Exposure can damage the brain and nervous system, slow growth and development, and cause learning and behavioral problems, all of which can lead to lower IQs.

It is estimated that there are around 33 million school-age children in Indonesia who are exposed to lead paint on a daily basis, often in environments like schools and playgrounds where children eat as well, making the risk of accidental ingestion or exposure much greater, according to the study.

Read the full article about lead paint on playgrounds by Ayat S. Karokaro at Eco-Business.