Lead and Mercury-Safe Schools campaign launched

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Health (DOH) and the European Union (EU) to eliminate lead and mercury exposures in primary schools all over the country.

The three line agencies and EU yesterday launched a nationwide campaign that aims to “promote greater inter-agency and multi-stakeholder support towards lead and mercury-free school environments for Filipino children.”

The launch of the campaign, dubbed as “Lead and Mercury-Safe Schools for Bright and Healthy Kids,” was held at the Commonwealth Elementary School in Quezon City, which was the regional champion in the elementary school category of the DENR’s National Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools in 2011 and 2013, and national champion in the same category for the Meralco Energy Leadership Awards.

The three agencies together with the EU signed a “Solidarity Statement” where they committed to take concrete steps to protect school children from the hazards of lead and mercury exposures such as promoting the use of lead-safe paint and switching to mercury-free alternatives.

EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux and representatives of the Eco-Waste Coalition and the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN), a global network of more than 700 non-government organizations whose common objective is to eliminate persistent organic pollutants or POPs, also took part in the event.

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje stressed the need for schools to manage lead and other harmful chemicals. “Chemical safety and security must be a priority of the schools. Administrators, supervisors, teachers and students alike must work together to ensure that these chemicals are handled with precaution and care,” he said.

Lead and mercury are toxic heavy metals being regulated by the DENR. Exposure to these chemicals has been found to cause irreversible neurological damage among children, leading to a decrease in intelligence and an increase in violent behavior.

Aside from promoting consciousness on the use of lead and mercury-safe alternatives within the education sector, the program also aims to bring attention to government policies on these chemicals.

Last year, Paje issued DENR Administrative Order No. 2013-24 or the Chemical Control Order (CCO) for Lead and Lead Compounds.

The directive prohibits the use of lead and its compounds in locally-produced consumer products, from manufacture to packaging, importation, sale, distribution and disposal. It also reinforces the ban on the use of lead as a fuel additive and sets a standard content of lead in locally-produced paint.

“We want to enable our paint industry to shift to lead-free production.  There is now a global action for the elimination of lead in paints, and certainly this CCO is our way of showing our oneness with this advocacy,” said Paje.

Ambassador Ledoux congratulated the DENR for issuing the CCO, emphasizing that “the country’s ongoing switch to non-lead paint production is key to protecting the health of children and other vulnerable populations from the debilitating effects of lead exposure.” “A school environment that is safe from lead and other harmful chemicals will have a positive impact on children’s health and their potential to grow, develop and succeed in life,” Ledoux said.

The EU supports the Asian Lead Paint Elimination Project to eliminate lead in paint and raise public awareness about the adverse human health impacts of lead-based decorative paints, particularly on the health of children below the age of six. The project is implemented in seven Asian countries. The EcoWaste Coalition is the leading project partner in the Philippines.