In 1996, environment ministers of 26 industrialized nations reached the first international agreement on measures to reduce the dangers posed by lead in the environment, committing their governments to fight the noxious effects of lead through cutting back use, tightening regulations, and working with the industries. The agreement included a political statement and a plan for action, but was not legally binding and depended on voluntary cooperation of industry. It called for phasing out lead in widely used products like gasoline and paint, more recycling, developing substitutes, and removing lead altogether from objects used by children or in food packaging.