EcoWaste Coalition Welcomes Moves to Curb Online Sale of Hazardous Chemicals
16 April 2021, Quezon City. The EcoWaste Coalition has given its thumbs
up to the efforts of various stakeholders to collectively tackle the concerns
arising from the online trade of regulated hazardous substances.
At the virtual interagency meeting held this
morning, environmental, health and trade regulators, e-commerce executives and
chemical safety advocates discussed the unfitting use of online shopping
platforms to sell regulated chemicals such as cyanide and mercury.
In his opening remarks, Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna who presided over
the meeting said: "while e-commerce is a significant driver of our economy
and provides convenience to millions of consumers, there are also certain
degree of risk to the population in general," citing the online selling of
regulated chemicals or chemical products as an example. "With these products being highly
accessible to anybody who has access to online trading sites, risk of human
exposure or environmental contamination is highly possible, especially when
sellers or suppliers do not have permits from government regulatory
agencies."
He was followed by a presentation from the EcoWaste
Coalition illustrating how third-party dealers are taking advantage of digital
commerce to sell regulated chemicals in blatant disregard of existing
regulatory controls.
The group reported finding online product ads for
substances belonging to the Philippine Priority Chemicals List or those covered
by multilateral chemical agreements such as the Minamata Convention on Mercury,
the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, and the Montreal Protocol
on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
It also called attention to banned products being
sold online such as mercury-added skin whitening cosmetics, mercury-based
medical devices, cyanide-laden silver cleaning agents, lead-containing spray paints,
and highly hazardous pesticides.
“Regulated chemicals sold by unlicensed or
unregistered persons are too easily accessible on the Internet,” said Thony
Dizon, Chemical Safety Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition. “Chemicals purchased
from these unauthorized sources may be diverted to inappropriate or illegal
activities,” he warned, adding that “chemicals purchased by unauthorized users
without proper knowledge and training may result in adverse health and
environmental outcomes, including chemical exposure and spill.”
Engr. Edwin Rommel Navaluna, Chief of Chemical
Management Section of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), then briefed
the participants about the regulations governing chemicals under Republic Act
6969, or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act.
Analyn Ignacio of the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) told the meeting they have
informed online shopping platforms about the availability of the FDA
Verification Portal System, which provides a comprehensive list of FDA-licensed
establishments and registered products that can assist in promoting consumer
access to safe and quality commodities.
The meeting ended on a high note with the approval
of Usec. Cuna's motion to create a technical working group to discuss in detail
the stakeholders' recommendations.
- For the government to designate e-commerce Inspectors to promote and ensure compliance to chemical controls regulations;
- For online shopping platforms to appoint Monitors who will ensure that non-compliant product ads are immediately taken down and their dealers blacklisted and reported to the concerned regulatory agencies; and
- For e-commerce sites to agree on a Code of Conduct that will protect online marketplaces from the unauthorized and unlawful trade of hazardous substances, mixtures and products.
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