JEDDAH — The Saudi Third Paints & Colors conference kicked off Sunday in Jeddah organized by Al-Jazeera Paints and witnessed the participation of 33 researchers, experts and specialists along with more than 500 engineers, consultants and construction stakeholders. The conference continues for three days. Preserving the environment and public health issues dominated the activities of the conference in light of mounting alarms by the World Health Organization (WHO) point that possibility increasing of cancer among paints applicators in environmentally irresponsible paints by 30 percent compared to ordinary ones. Along that line, the contribution of modern roads paints in safety and security and minimizing the average of painful accidents on the main and secondary roads and streets inside and outside the cities. Eng. Nasser bin Mohammad Al-Rumaih, Al-Jazeera Paints Deputy General Manger, noted that the conference's pillars include “Colors, Paint Technology and Green Buildings”. He further noted that there are 33 working papers presented during the conference over six scientific sessions, two sessions everyday, which point to the expansion of the 3rd conference compared to the first two conferences both in quality and in quantity. On this occasion, he stressed that the company's march towards preserving the environment is ongoing and extended to the roads by manufacturing a paint that is environmentally responsible and designed especially for the roads. The new product has an exceptional characteristics that can't be found in any other roads paints in regard to its ability to be seen during day time and being reflected during night time which minimize the maintenance works and prolongs its service compared to other road paints which require maintenance and repaint in a short period of time. He stressed the important role played by roads paints in regard to safety and security and in minimizing the averages of painful accidents on the main and secondary roads inside and outside of cities. He further added that the importance of Al-Jazeera Afro is not limited to traffic safety and security but extends to the safety and preservation of the environment as being a water base environmentally responsible paint that plays a prominent role in the safety of lives, vehicles and the environment all at once. From his side Eng. Abdullah Almughrabi from Al-Jazeera Paints, talked, in his working paper presented before the conference, about the ability to obtain roads paints that are highly effective, easy to use and apply, environmentally responsible with reasonable cost at the same time. He talked about the risk of using traditional roads paints (Thermoplastic) as they require very high temperature during application in addition to difficulties in reapplying them compared to water base and environmentally responsible paints which provide safe application environment and easy to reapply while preserving the glass pebbles which allow for the reflection of the light and consequently ease to limit the roads marks. Eng. Nawras Alrimawi, Al-Jazeera Paints Academy Director, pointed out, in his working paper presented in the conference, to the risk of the environmentally irresponsible paints and the scope of its impact on the health of people and sustainability of the environment. He presented data issued by the World Health Organization that points possibility increasing of cancer among paints applicators with environmentally irresponsible paints by 30 percent more than ordinary people. He believed that the terms and conditions of paints as sustainable and environmentally responsible such as high quality and value, free of certain chemical components in addition to reasonable cost as positive. – SG
