An environmental advocacy group has warned the public against buying and using cheap Christmas lights that may contain high levels of toxic substances.
The EcoWaste Coalition said that these substandard Christmas lights could be bought in Caloocan City as well as Binondo and Tondo in Manila. Of the 15 types of lights bought by the group, 10 were found to have high levels of lead, a substance that poisons the nervous system.
The 15 Christmas lights, including the 10 that contained lead, were brought at prices ranging from P60 up to P180.
Using a device known as the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, EcoWaste discovered that the 10 Christmas lights had levels of lead between 1,181 and 5,264 parts per million (ppm), way higher than the 1,000 ppm threshold defined by the European Union Directive on Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS).
The one with the highest levels of lead at 5,264 ppm was described by the group as two-way flashing Christmas rice lights with 100 bulbs and green wires. It came in a green and yellow box.
Next was a North Star Christmas light set with green wiring which contained 4,700 ppm of lead. In third place was a UL-Listed Christmas light set with green wiring that had 4,647 ppm of lead.
“We… warn the public that the Christmas lights we could be beautifying our homes with in time for the Christmas festivity could be laden with harmful elements such as the neurotoxin lead,” Thony Dizon, Eco-Waste Coalition coordinator, said in a statement.
According to the Mayo Clinic website www.mayoclinic.com, lead can accumulate in the body and cause serious health problems even in small doses. It can affect mental growth and induce learning difficulties in children while adults can suffer symptoms such as high blood pressure and memory loss.
“Bear in mind too that Christmas lights loaded with toxic materials could end up as hazardous wastes that are dumped, burned or improperly recycled, posing serious health and environmental risks,” Dizon added.
Aside from being contaminated with lead, EcoWaste said seven out of the 15 samples they bought had no Import Commodity Compliance certificate stickers or Philippine Standard mark stickers, which shows that the brands were not inspected by the Department of Trade and Industry.
While these lights may be cheaper, they have a higher risk of failing by burning up or causing electrical shock when handled improperly.
“Consumers should bear in mind that they have the right to know what is in the product that they are buying. [They] should therefore be extra cautious when this information is not available on the packaging,” Dizon said.
Meanwhile, EcoWaste urged the government to draft and approve legislation that would control hazardous substances, especially in consumer goods.
“It’s worrisome that we lack a RoHS-like policy, something that gives unscrupulous manufacturers and businessmen the breathing space to easily amass profits at the expense of the Filipino people’s health and safety,” Dizon said.