<P> Most lead - based paint in the United Kingdom was banned from sale to the general public in 1992, apart from for specialist uses . Prior to this lead compounds had been used as the pigment and drying agent in different types of paint, for example brick and some tile paints </P> <P> Until the early 1960s white lead (lead carbonate / lead sulphate) was added in substantial quantities as the main white pigment in some paint products intended for use as a primer or top coat over metal and wood, both internally and externally . Examples of where this type of paint may have been used are skirting boards, doors, door frames, stairs, banisters, window frames and sills, wooden flooring, radiators, and pipes, though it could also have been applied to any other surface at this time e.g. plaster walls . </P>

When did lead stop being used in paint uk