Warning Out on Lead Painted Reusable Water Bottle
The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition has detected lead on the red coating of a stainless steel water bottle imported from China and sold in a local chain store.
As part of the group’s advocacy in relation to the ongoing Consumer Welfare Month (October 1-31) and the upcoming International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (October 22-28), the group alerted consumers against potential lead exposure from the use of reusable water bottles covered with lead paint.
Purchased for P150, the Shanghai-made 500 ml “Goctan” reusable water bottle decorated with an image of a green dinosaur is coated with a red paint that contains lead, a known brain-damaging and endocrine disrupting chemical banned in the manufacture of paints.
The red paint contains 8,350 parts per million (ppm) lead in violation of the national ban on lead in paint and similar surface coatings that exceeds the 90 ppm limit, the group said. Lead was detected on the paint using an Olympus Vanta M Series X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer.
The Chemical Control Order (CCO) for lead and its compounds issued in 2013 by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) bans lead in the production of paints and a range of consumer products. A follow-up circular clarified that the ban on the use of paints with more than 90 ppm lead in toys and related products would be enforced after December 31, 2016.
Due to frequent use and accidental drops, the red surface coating of the said reusable water bottle may chip over time, and children may be exposed to lead through contact with lead-containing paint chips and dust, the group explained.
Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause a range of health problems such as damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth, hearing, speech and learning difficulties, and behavioral problems, which can lead to weakened cognitive development, lower IQ scores, shortened attention spans, and underperformance in school.
According to the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (or the Lead Paint Alliance), "many children who ingest smaller amounts of lead may not have immediate acute symptoms but may be still at risk of behavioral problems, poor school performance, and lower IQ later in life."
"Lead is toxic and is harmful to everyone” and "young children are most vulnerable," noting "there is no safe level of lead exposure," the WHO warned.
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