Toxics watchdog puts up toy checkup stall

An environmental watchdog has set up a stall at Baclaran in Parañaque City to warn the public against the dangers of buying cheap, unlabeled toys as giveaways for the holidays, saying these may contain toxic materials.

“We have come here to draw consumers’ attention to the problem [of] buying and giving untested, unregistered and unlabeled toy gifts that could contain toxic substances and cause adverse health effects among children,” said Thony Dizon, coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.

“Toys tainted with lead, mercury and other toxic chemicals present a clear and present danger to young children who often put their hands and playthings into their mouths,” he added.

At its “Toy Check-Up Tent” just near the Baclaran Church, members of EcoWaste Coalition use a handheld device called the X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer to identify and measure the dangerous chemicals in a product, according to Dizon.

The XRF “allows the rapid identification and measurement of up to 20 elements in a product without destroying the sample,” the official explained. The gadget is also being used by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to determine a product’s toxic content.

For her part, toxicologist Dr. Bessie Antonio pointed out that “efforts must be made to prevent and reduce children’s exposure to heavy metals” since they were more susceptible to its ill-effects.

“Many of [these chemicals] are dangerous for a child’s developing brain and body even at low levels,” she said.

Aside from avoiding products without labels, EcoWaste Coalition also asked consumers to habitually read product labels.