'Slippers with cartoon characters have brain-damaging chemical'

MANILA, Philippines -  Slippers featuring popular cartoon characters such as Ben 10, Snow White and Spiderman that are sold in various areas in Manila were found to have chemical content that are harmful to children.

Owing to this, lawmakers on Monday urged the Department of Trade and Industry  to seize these slippers from dsicount shops and vendors and impose stricter penalties on manufacturers.

The EcoWaste Coalition’s Task Force on Chemical Safety recently warned parents after the group found the presence of brain-damaging chemicals in 18 out of the 25 pairs of PVC unlabelled plastic and rubber slippers they subjected to a chemical analysis using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device.

The 18 samples were found to have high levels of lead exceeding the 90 parts per million (ppm) limit of the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). 

According to Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect, the tested slippers had lead ranging from 542 to 2,391 ppm, which could come from the lead additive in the paint coatings and the lead stabilizer in PVC.

These slippers were mostly featuring popular cartoon characters such as Ben 10, Snow White and Spiderman which can be bought for P20 to P65 each from informal vendors plying their trade at Lacson Underpass in Quiapo, Rizal Ave. in Sta. Cruz, Recto Ave. in Divisoria, M. Roxas St. in Sta. Ana, and Pedro Gil St. in Ermita

Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan (Party-list, Gabriela) said this is a situation when the poor becomes doubly oppressed.

“Since they can only afford these cheaply-priced slippers, they become most vulnerable to exposure,” Ilagan said.

Ilagan advised mothers who, most of the time, are likely to get these slippers because the price fits their budget to  buy another brand instead.

Ilagan also urged Ecowaste to announce the brands that are safe and affordable and pressed the DTI to withdraw those products that are suspect from the market. 

“Advisories should be in order. If they are withdrawn, mothers will see only the safer brands,” Ilagan stressed.

Rep. Reena Concepcion Obillo (Party-list, Una ang Pamilya) said the country’s consumer laws should also protect the consuming public when it comes to manufacturing slippers. 

“Tsinelas is a masa commodity so stricter penalties should be imposed on manufacturers or products found to contain toxic materials,” Obillo said.