EcoWaste Coalition Finds Some E-Gadget Accessories Toxic
Some colorful earphone cases and cord
holders being sold in Divisoria may not be suitable for kids due to their high lead
content.
The EcoWaste Coalition, a chemical safety advocate, urged consumers to exercise
caution when buying accessories for e-gadgets that are made of polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) plastic or with PVC adornments.
The group on Sunday bought five types of cute round earphone cases with zipper
and found the embossed PVC cartoon characters on four of these cases laden with
high levels of lead ranging from 732 to 1,469 parts per million (ppm). The earphone
cases were procured from a sidewalk vendor in Juan Luna St. for P50 each.
The group also detected lead between 631 to 2,062 ppm in all five cord holders
made of PVC with Disney cartoons and super heroes. The cord holders were obtained from a
discount store at 168 Shopping Mall.
The group used a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence device to screen the products for
toxic metals.
“These products should carry warning labels for containing toxic lead,” said
Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.
“Curious kids may play with these attractive e-gadget accessories as if these
were toys and innocently put these in their mouths, exposing them to lead, a
chemical poison,” he warned.
Lead can harm the brain and the central nervous system and damage other body
organs, with children under six most at risk.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed lead as one of the “ten
chemicals of major public health concern.”
Some of the consequences of brain injury
from exposure to lead in early life,
according to the WHO, are loss of intelligence,
shortening of attention span and behavioural
problems.
The EcoWaste Coalition also warned that PVC plastic accessories may contain
other chemical ingredients such as phthalates that can get into a child’s body
by biting or chewing on it.
To prevent exposure to lead and other chemical poisons in PVC, the group urged
consumers to avoid plastic products bearing the number “3” or the letters “PVC”
or the word “vinyl.”
To encourage manufacturers’ compliance to the government’s Chemical Control
Order for Lead and Lead Compounds, which prohibits the use of lead in the
production of school supplies and toys, the group advised safety-conscious
consumers to go for duly-labeled and registered non-toxic children's products.
The EcoWaste Coalition also advised the public to dispose of unwanted PVC
products with caution.
Burning PVC plastic waste will cause the release of extremely harmful by-product
pollutants such as dioxins and furans, which belong to some of the most toxic
chemicals known to science, the group warned.
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