EcoWaste Coalition Lauds QC's Action to Turn City's Parks into "Lead-Free" Zones

The EcoWaste Coalition today welcomed the action by the Quezon City Government to mitigate health hazards from lead-containing playground equipment at the Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC) and other city-operated parks.

The QC government swiftly initiated lead paint remediation in response to a toxics investigation conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition last April 23, 2012, which showed high levels of lead in some of QMC’s physical fitness and playground equipment.

The findings prompted the EcoWaste Coalition to urge QC Mayor Herbert Bautista to “initiate lead hazard assessment and remedial action” at QMC and other public facilities frequented by children.

“Heeding your appeal, the QMC management (embarked on) urgent start-up remedial measure to address these concerns,” wrote Engr. Zaldy de la Rosa, QMC Assistant Administrator, to the EcoWaste Coalition.

As a pilot test on lead paint remediation, QMC personnel removed the lead-laden paint of several physical exercise equipment and then coated them with a certified lead-free paint, de la Rosa said.

At the request of the QMC management, the repainted equipment were inspected by the EcoWaste Coalition’s AlerToxicPatrol on May 16 and were screened for lead using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer.

“If the remedial measure proves to be successful as certified by the toxics watchdog, the physical fitness and playground equipment not only at QMC, but all over the city will have their old paint scraped and treated with lead-free paint,” de la Rosa wrote to the EcoWaste Coalition.

“This for sure, will make the QMC and other city-operated parks, lead-free zones, to ensure that all forms of toxic exposure within public parks are proactively prevented,” he emphasized.

While the lead contents detected during the May 16 inspection were significantly lower than the previous screening on April 23, the repainted equipment still showed unacceptable levels of lead that could be attributed not to the new paint applied, but to the residual lead-based paint in the equipment, according to the EcoWaste Coalition.

For his part, Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect, commended the QC Government for committing to make QMC and other parks under its jurisdiction safe from lead-based playground equipment.

“We laud Mayor Bautista, Engr. de la Rosa and the park personnel for taking swift action to minimize children’s exposure from lead-tainted equipment. This action for public health should be emulated by other local government units,” Dizon said.

“It is our hope that all lead hazard control measures to be carried out by the QC Government,including repainting jobs, will be safely done to contain the lead dust and prevent occupational exposure for the workers,” he added.

The EcoWaste Coalition had earlier suggested to the QC Government to refer to the manual published by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, entitled “Lead Paint Safety: A Field Guide for Painting, Home Maintenance and Renovation Work,” on proper removal of lead-based paint.

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EcoWaste Coalition Discovers High Levels of Lead and Cadmium in Chidren's Rainwear

As “back-to-school” shoppers swamp Divisoria ahead of the school reopening, a toxics watchdog today announced that it has bought and screened 14 children’s raincoats and found dangerous levels of harmful chemicals in 13 of them.

The EcoWaste Coalition made the disclosure as the group steps up its effort to raise consumer awareness on chemicals of concern to watch out in some school supplies as the resumption of classes on June 4 nears.

The group last week uncovered excessive levels of lead, a potent brain poison, in 9 out of 25 school supplies, including 3 backpacks, 2 pencil cases, a plastic envelope, a rainwear, a pair of girl shoes and a water canteen.

“We decided to screen additional raincoats to check if these products, which are supposed to protect kids from getting wet and sick during the rainy season, are safe for their health,” said Aileen Lucero of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.

Lucero revealed that out of the 14 raincoats the group bought from retailers and wholesalers in Divisoria on May 14, 11 were found to contain lead levels up to 9,475 parts per million (ppm), way above the 90 ppm limit under the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

While three samples had no detectable levels of lead, two of them had high amounts of cadmium, a probable human carcinogen that scientists say are worse than lead in many ways.

A portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer was used to screen the samples for heavy metals on May 15.

“We are concerned about lead and cadmium in raincoats and other school supplies as these toxic substances are unavoidably released as toxic dust as the products deteriorate, and could be transferred to a child’s hands and ingested through repeated handling and use,” she said.

Some of the major deleterious effects of exposure to lead and cadmium includere productive disorders, birth defects, behavioural problems, learning disabilities, permanent IQ loss and diminished school performance.

The raincoats, sold from P55 to P180 per piece, were bought from shops located along Juan Luna St. in Divisoria, Manila and were mostly made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and decorated with Disney, Justice League and other popular cartoon characters.

The following samples registered with the highest levels of lead:

A. 9,475 ppm of lead in a “Disney Cuties” PVC raincoat bought for P140 at Summit Superstore, Divisoria.

B. 4,368 ppm of lead in a “Disney Mickey Mouse” raincoat bought for P180 at Shirts and Print Trading Corp., Divisoria.

C. 3,595 ppm of lead in a “Winnie the Pooh” PVC raincoat bought for P170 at New China Bazaar, Divisoria.

D. 1,482 ppm of lead in a “Mickey Mouse” raincoat bought for P120 at Will Top Marketing, Divisoria.

E. 1,440 ppm of lead in a “Pretty as Princess” PVC raincoat bought for P170 at New China Bazaar, Divisoria.

F. 1,136 ppm of lead in a “Disney Tigger” PVC raincoat bought for P180 at Shirts and Print Trading Corp., Divisoria.

To avoid potential childhood exposure to lead and other harmful chemicals from raincoats, the EcoWaste Coalition advises parents to look for non-PVC rainwear and avoid those with painted designs unless labeled with a verifiable"lead-free" or "non-toxic" guarantee.

Aside from the health risks associated with the production and consumption of PVC-based school supplies, the EcoWaste Coalition is also concerned with the extreme difficulty of recycling or disposing them because of their toxic additives.

PVC should be treated as “special waste” containing hazardous chemicals,should not be mixed with regular household discards and should not be burned to prevent the formation of dioxins, a class of highly toxic byproducts of combustion.

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EcoWaste Coalition Finds Harmful Chemicals in Some School Supplies

Quezon City. With school reopening just around the corner, a toxics watchdog urged consumers to be watchful and alert against toxic chemicals lurking in common school supplies.

The EcoWaste Coalition pressed for consumer vigilance after finding chemicals above levels of concern in nine out of 25 school supplies bought from street vendors and bargain stalls in Divisoria, Manila and from a major bookstore chain.

The EcoWaste Coalition screened the samples for heavy metals such as antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury using a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device.

According to the latest toxics screening conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition:

A. The amount of lead detected in 8 out of nine tainted samples, including a water canteen, exceeds the 90 parts per million (ppm) limit for lead in children’s products under the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008;

B. The levels of lead found in the samples range from 229 ppm to as high as 3,863 ppm.

C. The presence of cadmium, a known human carcinogen, in one sample at 443 ppm is an added hazard.

Health authorities have stated that there are no safe levels for lead exposure among children even in very low doses, the group emphasized.

Lead is classified as a neurotoxin or a substance that is capable of damaging the central nervous system, including the brain, causing behavioural, body movement, emotional and intellectual disorders.

Childhood exposure to lead, among other effects, may lower a child’s intelligence quotient (IQ) and decrease her/his school performance and educational accomplishment.

“All of the lead-containing products are clearly designed and marketed for kids as we can see from the attractive and colourful patterns featuring cartoon characters popular among children. This is bad news for our children and their future,” observed Aileen Lucero of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.

“Lead in school supplies is a real threat to our children’s health as lead can be released as toxic flake, chip or dust as the products age and deteriorate,” she emphasized.

“The good news is we found non-detectable levels of lead in 16 products, indicating the availability of products with low or no lead in the market. However, it will be extremely difficult for consumers to determine which products are really okay because of inadequate product safety certification and labeling,” she said.

The nine school supplies containing toxic metals above levels of concern include:

1. A yellow Dora the Explorer water canteen (price P219.75) with 3,863 ppm of lead, 2,514 ppm of chromium, 605 ppm of arsenic and 17 ppm of mercury

2. A blue Naruto backpack (P100) with 1,361 ppm of lead

3. A yellow and blue Ben 10 backpack (P100) with 711 ppm of lead and 520 ppm of antimony

4. A green and yellow child raincoat (price P100) with 579 ppm of lead and 443 ppm of cadmium

5. A pink backpack with shiny printed design (P150) with 538 ppm of lead

6. An Adventurer Music in the Ears plastic envelope (P65) with 356 ppm of lead

7. A red Mickey Mouse pencil case with magnetic lid (P50) with 274 ppm of lead

8. A black girl school shoes with Angry Birds design (P150) with 229 ppm of lead

9. A red X power sports car pencil case (P20) with 1,559 ppm of chromium

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EcoWaste Coalition Pushes Decentralized Composting to Ease Garbage, Toxic and Soil Woes

An advocate for zero waste resource management today urged the government and the citizenry to rally behind a proven solution to society’s chronic problem with stinking garbage, toxic gases and depleted soils: decentralized composting.

The EcoWaste Coalition gave a big push to the biological breaking down of organic discards as the International Composting Awareness Week is observed from May 6 to 12.

“The intensive composting of biodegradable discards at all areas and levels of waste generation can dramatically reduce the volume of discards assigned for disposal by at least 50 per cent in most cities and municipalities,” said Christina Vergara, Zero Waste Project Officer, EcoWaste Coalition.

According to the National Solid Waste Management Commission, the entire country generates some 35,430 tons of waste per day, of which some 8,000 tons come from Metro Manila.

Of these, 50% are food and other organic discards, 25% plastics, 12% paper, 5% metals, 3% glass, 1% hazardous waste and 4% residual waste.

“Decentralized composting will translate to millions of savings for our cash-strapped local government units (LGUs) due to avoided disposal costs,” she pointed out.

“By separating organic discards at source, we reduce the risk of contaminating recyclable materials and, as a result, increase the value of recyclables and make them safer for waste workers to handle and recycle,” she added.

“Composting further reduces the emission of greenhouse gases such as methane, which is about 70 times stronger than carbon dioxide in terms of trapping heat, by keeping food, garden, farm and other organic discards out of dumpsites and landfills,” she said.

The country has over a thousand waste disposal facilities, including 1,027 open and controlled dumpsites long forbidden by Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, as well as “sanitary” landfills, cement kilns and incinerators, the EcoWaste Coalition noted.NG

Citing information from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the EcoWaste Coalition emphasized the benefits of applying compost as fertilizer in agriculture.

According to the UNESCAP’s Sustainable Urban Development Section, compost:

1. Lightens heavy soils, allowing better infiltration of both air and water.

2. Enhances and improves the soil’s structure, so that it becomes less subject to erosion by either water or wind.

3. Adds nutrients and trace materials to the soil, stimulating biological activity and encouraging vigorous plant rooting systems.

4. Enables soil to retain nutrients and moisture, preventing them from being leached out of the soil and into the ground water.

“With composting, we lessen our dependence to chemical farming and agriculture, while producing safe organic food for our people,” Vergara said.

"It will surely boost the implementation of the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010, especially in rural areas, provided the compost is clean and free of toxics," she added.

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http://compostingcouncil.org/icaw/

http://swapp.org.ph/attachments/article/283/1%20AGUINALDO_Swm%20national%20status_FINAL.pdf

http://www.unescap.org/esd/suds/swm/documents/Decentralized-composting.pdf

EcoWaste Coalition Finds More Toxic Slippers in the Market

A toxics watchdog today reported detecting excessive levels of lead in some fake as well as branded slippers sold in Divisoria, the country’s number one bargain center, and in Shoe Mart (SM), the country's number one store chain.

Following the initial investigation it conducted in March 2012 that saw nine of the 20 samples positive for lead, a potent neurotoxin, the EcoWaste Coalition expanded its probe on toxins in slippers by screening 23 new samples.

Fifteen of the 23 samples were imitation products from Divisoria’s bargain stalls and eight were original products bought from Robinsons Place, Manila and in SM "Clearance Outlet" in Quiapo, SM Manila in Ermita and SM North EDSA in Quezon City.

A handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer was used to screen the samples for heavy metals such as lead.

Out of the 23 samples,12 pairs were found to contain lead in excess of 90 parts per million (ppm), the limit for lead in painted surfaces under the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

Out of the 12 lead-positive samples, seven were counterfeit slippers bought from vendors at Juan Luna St. and Recto Ave. in Divisoria and carrying brand names such as “Havaianas,” “Nike,” “Puma,” “Storm” and “Tattoo” with lead content up to 1,462 ppm.

The five other lead-positive samples were original Caribbean slippers bought from SM stores that had lead between 2,438 ppm to 22,900 ppm. The “Beard,” “Gary,” “Harper,” “Neptune” and “Zed” styles of Caribbean slippers also had antimony, arsenic, cadmium and chromium above levels of concern.

The EcoWaste Coalition noted that four pairs of bogus “Havaianas” (costing P35 to P50 per pair) and two pairs of fake "Crocs" (costing P100 and P150 each), all from Divisoria, were found to contain low or non-detectable levels of lead.

An original Havainas costing P995 had non-detectable lead. The item was purchased at the Havaianas shop in Robinsons Place, Ermita.

An original Banana Peel flip flops from SM had no detectable lead content, but was found to contain 194 ppm of chromium.

An original Planet slippers, also from SM, had no detectable level of toxic metals.

“The additional data we generated only underscore the need to get rid of lead-containing consumer products like slippers in the market to avoid potential human exposure to this brain poison,” observed Thony Dizon, Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.

“This is a serious health and environmental concern and we ask the government, particularly the Department of Trade and Industry, to take swift action,” he pointed out.

Aside from directly exposing the users to lead through dermal contact, the lead can scatter into the environment as the soles rub on the ground and as the slippers wear out and then later disposed of, Dizon explained.

Based on its latests findings, the EcoWaste Coalition requested the SM management to stop the sale of lead-tainted Caribbean flip-flops.

“In the higher interest of consumer health and safety, we urge you to immediately halt the sale of Caribbean flip-flops and to press your suppliers to only offer safe items with no lead and other toxic metals added,” wrote the EcoWaste Coalition in their letter dated May 3, 2012.

Lead, a brain-damaging chemical, has been linked to reproductive, developmental, behavioral and neurological problems, including birth defects, attention deficit disorder, language and speech difficulties and lower IQ.

Lead exposure occurs through the ingestion, inhalation or skin contact with air, water, food, soil and consumer products containing lead.

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