How safe are our school supplies?

That’s right, kids, ilang tulog na lang, pasukan na! I remember when I was in grade school ages ago, I really looked forward to the opening of a new school year, year after year, because it meant a new set of uniforms (that is, if I had outgrown the old ones), a new bag (if the old bag just wouldn’t do anymore), and maybe a new pair of shoes (if the all-weather soles of my old Gregg shoes, truly the perfect solemate, had given up on me), and, yes, new school supplies!

Attention, all parents! If you still haven’t bought your kids’ school supplies, please read this:

With the school opening just around the proverbial corner, a toxics watchdog called for heightened consumer vigilance to protect children from being exposed to health-damaging chemicals that have been found in some school supplies.

At a press briefing held recently at its office in Quezon City, the EcoWaste Coalition revealed the “toxic truths” about the harmful substances discovered in some “back-to-school” children’s products which the group bought from retailers, mostly from Divisoria, where prices are so much cheaper.

These toxic substances lurking in some school supplies include lead, a powerful neurotoxin that damages the brain and the nervous system; cadmium, a renal toxin and a known human carcinogen; and phthalates, a group of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that includes di-ethyl hexyl phthalate or DEHP, a suspected human carcinogen.

And here are the findings, based on the three-phase investigation the group conducted:

• For Phase I, nine out of 25 diverse samples of school supplies purchased on May 8 and screened with the X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer on May 9 contained lead, from 229 parts per million (ppm) to 3,863 ppm.

• For Phase II, 11 of 14 rainwear samples bought on May 14 and analyzed with the XRF on May 15 had lead ranging from over 90 ppm to 9,475 ppm, while three samples had cadmium up 254 ppm.

• For Phase III, four of the five different samples procured in late April and subjected to independent laboratory analysis via Gas Chromatographic-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) from May 10 to 15 failed the phthalate limit, with one sample having 35.86 percent of di-iso-nonyl phthalate (DINP).

Under the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, the limit for total lead concentration is 90 ppm and 75 ppm for soluble cadmium, while the limit for phthalates is 0.1% by total weight (or 1,000 ppm).

“We find this worrisome as the market is teeming with PVC school supplies and consumers are unaware of the dangers posed by their secret toxic ingredients,” sadly notes Aileen Lucero of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect. “Which is why we are calling on all Filipino consumers to assert their right to health, especially the protection of their children from products that may endanger their health.”

“Exposure to cadmium, lead, and phthalates can adversely affect a child’s healthy and well-rounded development and this should be prevented by all means such as through the provision of school materials that are guaranteed safe for kids,” says Dr. Bessie Antonio, a pediatric toxicologist from East Avenue Medical Center.

EcoWaste Coalition also zeroed in on the hazards posed by phthalates, the synthetic chemical additives used in the production of PVC plastics to increase their softness, elasticity, and durability.

Authorities note that because phthalates are not chemically attached to plastics, they can disperse or leak into the environment over time, and interfere with endocrine or hormone functions. Among the alarming harmful consequences of phthalate exposure are birth defects in baby boys, premature breast development in girls, male genital abnormalities, low sperm quality, and testicular cancer.

Of the five school supply samples tested by the Intertek laboratory, four were found to contain phthalates above the 0.1% limit, as follows:

1. A Dora the Explorer pink PVC raincoat had 35.86- DINP.

2. A metal ruler with a rubberized part containing Smileys had 0.534% DNOP and 0.285% DINP.

3. A red PVC plastic envelope with images of Angry Birds from Expressions had 1.89% DINP, 2.21% DEHP, and 2.86% DIDP.

4. A Princess Mica PVC lunch bag had 2.57% DEHP, 0.280% DBP, and 0.189% DINP.

These five samples were also screened for lead, and these three samples were found to exceed the 90 ppm limit: the Smileys in the ruler, the painted Angry Birds in the red plastic envelope, and the ellipsis design in the Adventurer plastic envelope.

Because of their adverse health effects, especially to young children, the European Union, the United States of America, and other countries have imposed restrictions or bans on some phthalates, including BBP, DBP DEHP, DIDP, DINP, and DNOP.

Meanwhile, the Philippines has not phased out or banned phthalates, but in 1999, the Food and Drug Administration (formerly Bureau of Food and Drugs) issued a warning on the health hazards caused by phthalates in PVC toys “as these have been found to leach out from the toys when they are sucked or chewed as commonly practiced by children.”

The EcoWaste Coalition has done its homework and come up with these calls to action:

To consumers:

• Insist on your right to information: Look for and read the label carefully and be inquisitive.

• Avoid PVC school supplies that may contain toxic additives such as cadmium, lead, and phthalates.

• Refrain from buying products with strong chemical smell and painted parts or designs that could later chip off.

• Ask for receipt or any proof of purchase.

To sellers:

• Obtain a certification from suppliers that their goods are safe from hazardous chemicals.

• Only offer goods that are certified “non-toxic”’ and adequately labeled.

To manufacturers:

• Only produce and market certified toxics-free children’s products.

• Ensure full disclosure of product information, including chemical ingredients and their potential health effects. 

To the government, specifically the Department of Health (Center for Health Development and the Food and Drug Administration), Department of Trade (Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Environmental Management Bureau), and the local government units:

• Assign product safety inspectors and consumer complaint officers in Divisoria and other market hubs for school supplies.

• Enact and enforce a law that will prohibit the use of cadmium, lead, phthalates, and other major chemicals of concern in children’s products.

Welcome back to school, kids!

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