EcoWaste Coalition Detects Toxic Chemicals in Tondo’s Fiesta Banderitas (Green Group Scores Toxic Plastic Banderitas)
Banderitas with high lead content.
The unchecked use of plastic banderitas in community fiestas is not only adding
to the volume, but also to the toxicity of garbage.
The EcoWaste Coalition, a waste and pollution watch
group, issued this statement after detecting heavy metals, particularly lead,
in samples taken from banderitas strung across the crowded streets and alleys
of Tondo, which is celebrating today the popular feast of Santo Niño.
“Plastic banderitas add to the volume and toxicity of
rubbish generated by our popular but wasteful fiestas,” said Thony Dizon,
Chemical Safety Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.
“These unnecessary accessories may look safe to the naked
eye. However, when these banderitas are
finally disposed of in dumpsites, landfills or incinerators, or thrown in water
bodies, their toxic chemical additives can enter the environment posing a risk to public health,” he
said.
“Burning these banderitas will cause the formation and
release of even more toxic byproducts such as dioxins,” he added.
Using a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analytical
instrument, the group detected lead in 12 of 25 samples of plastic banderitas
in the range of 512 to 9,931 parts per million (ppm).
Bright orange-colored banderitas, as well as those
promoting certain products were among those found with high lead content.
The presence of lead in some of the sampled buntings may
be due to the use of lead compounds as plastic stabilizer or as plastic
colorant, the group explained.
According to the World Health Organization, “lead is a
cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems, particularly affecting
the development of the brain and nervous system,” while “dioxins can cause
reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere
with hormones and also cause cancer.”
The renewed efforts by the national government to clean
up and rehabilitate Manila Bay should prompt the local authorities, church
leaders, and community residents into stopping wasteful practices that
contribute to the pollution of the bay, including the rampant use of banderitas
and other single-use plastics, the EcoWaste Coalition said.
Corporations should also ensure that their product
packaging, as well as product promotional materials such as banderitas, are
reusable, recyclable or compostable, and are safe from chemicals that are
harmful to humans and the environment, including aquatic life, the group
pointed out.
-end-
Reference:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dioxins-and-their-effects-on-human-health
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health
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