QC makes playground ‘lead-free’; eco group not yet pleased

In response to a complaint from an environment watchdog group, the Quezon City government on Thursday coated the playground at Quezon Memorial Circle with what it called “certified lead-free paint.”

But the critics apparently remained unsatisfied.

Manny Calonzo of the EcoWaste Coalition said an inspection conducted by his group right after the repainting job showed a “significantly lower level of lead” compared to the findings of the first screening on April 23, but that it was still not low enough to pass US safety standards.

Calonzo did not give exact figures but said the new coat of paint was still above the limit set by the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act at 90 parts per million.

“At the request of the QMC management, the repainted equipment were inspected by the EcoWaste Coalition’s AlerToxic Patrol on May 17 and were screened for lead using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer,” the group said in a press statement.

This was after assistant city administrator Zaldy de la Rosa formally informed the group that city hall personnel had already “removed the lead-laden paint of several physical exercise equipment and then coated them with a certified lead-free paint.”

De la Rosa said other structures in the city may soon “have their old paint scraped and treated with lead-free paint.”

Still, ECW project coordinator Thony Dizon said other local government units should emulate Quezon City’s efforts in preventing children’s exposure to toxic chemicals.

The ECW campaign against toxic chemicals in paint and other consumer products is mainly based on warnings from the World Health Organization, like one citing the dangers of exposing children to environments where they might touch or ingest disease-causing particles.—Daphne J. Magturo