EcoWaste Coalition Urges Hardware Stores to Stop Selling Toxic Paint Brushes
The EcoWaste Coalition has appealed to hardware stores
and home improvement centers to stop the sale of paint brushes whose handles
are decorated with lead-containing paint.
As paint brushes are inappropriately used to rub butter,
glaze, oil or sauce on food items, the toxics watch group further urged retail
outlets to put up the following warning sign on paint brush rack or shelf:
“Safety First: Not Suitable for Food Preparation.”
“The use of paint brushes, which are non-food grade
utensils, may pose a lead contamination risk, especially when the lead painted
handle has started to crumble due to repeated use. The chalking, chipping or
peeling lead paint on the handle of these brushes may get onto the butter,
glaze, oil or sauce that is applied on food and into someone’s mouth,”
explained Thony Dizon, Chemical Safety Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.
“This raises the possibility for lead poisoning to occur
due to the ingestion of lead contaminated food. While further study is
required, food preparers are advised to err on the side of caution and only use
food-grade basting brushes or mops. Prevention is better than cure, especially
when you are dealing with toxic metals like lead, which has no safe threshold
for exposure,” said Dr. Erle Castillo, toxicologist at Medical Center Manila
and member of the Philippine Society for Clinical and Occupational Toxicology.
If food grade basting or pastry brushes are not
affordable or available, ingenious food preparers can opt for DIY
(do-it-yourself) mops made out of banana, lemon grass or pandan leaves, the
EcoWaste Coalition suggested.
Last Sunday, the group launched its report entitled “Get
the Lead Out of Paint Brushes,” which documents the presence of dangerously
high levels of lead in non-food grade brushes used for food preparations.
From 25-27 August 2018, the group purchased a total of 75
branded and generic paint brushes from 40 hardware stores, home improvement
centers and other retailers in Caloocan, Makati, Manila, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon,
San Juan, and Taguig Cities
The samples representing 58 brands and costing P10 to
P164.75 each were screened for toxic metals, particularly lead, using a
portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analytical device.
The XRF screening showed 52 of the 75 paint brushes (69%)
with mostly yellow painted handles had high lead content exceeding the
regulatory limit of 90 parts per million (ppm) as per Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order (A.O.) 2013-24, or the
Chemical Control Order for Lead and Lead Compounds.
Of the 52 lead-coated paint brushes, 41 had lead above
1,000 ppm, 23 had lead above 5,000 ppm and eight had lead above 10,000 ppm.
None of the 52 lead-decorated paint brushes provided lead
warning on the product label. There was
no precautionary statement on the label that such brushes should not be used
for food preparations.
According to the EcoWaste Coalition, the presence of lead
on the painted handles of the analyzed paint brushes pointed to an obvious
breach of the country’s landmark regulation banning lead in paints.
With the phase-out of lead-containing decorative paints,
it would only be logical that painting implements such as brushes are also
devoid of lead, the group emphasized.
The group further revealed that the highly leaded paint
brush samples also contained arsenic, chrome and mercury above levels of
concern.
As the eradication of lead exposure at its source is the single most effective
action against childhood as well as adult lead poisoning, the EcoWaste
Coalition has suggested the following action steps:
For Paint Brush Manufacturers:
Withdraw from the market paint brushes decorated with
lead paint.
Ensure that only lead-safe paints are used for decorating
paint brushes.
Provide adequate product labeling information, including
a precautionary warning that paint brushes may not be suitable for food-related
applications.
For Hardware Stores, Home Improvement
Centers and Other Retailers:
Desist from selling lead-containing paint brushes.
Demand lead-safe paint brushes from suppliers.
Put up a warning sign on paint brush rack or shelf:
“Safety First: Not Suitable for Food Preparation.”
For Consumers:
Ask for lead-safe paints, as well as lead-safe paint
brushes, from your favorite store.
Use hygienic food grade basting mops and refrain from
using paint brushes.
For the Government:
Educate the public about the risks of misusing paint
brushes for food purposes.
Prohibit the use of paint brushes for food preparation as
a precaution against lead contamination.
Enforce the ban on lead-containing decorative paints in
the production of paint brushes and other home improvement products.
-end-
The report “Get the Lead Out of Paint Brushes” can be
downloaded here:
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