Group seeks ban on sale of silver cleaner in QC

MANILA, Philippines—A watchdog group for chemical safety urged the Quezon City Council to pass a draft measure banning the sale of silver cleaner containing cyanide, a poisonous substance that has been used in committing suicide, provide stiffer penalties for illegal sellers and distributors.

“If adopted, Quezon City will be the first local government unit to heed the Department of Health’s latest appeal to criminalize the sale and dispensing of cyanide-containing silver cleaning solutions,” Thony Dizon, coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect, said.

The EcoWaste Coalition wrote a letter to Councilor Eufemio Lagumbay, chair of the committee on health and sanitation, expressing support for the proposed ordinance filed last year by Councilor Dorothy Delarmente.

“We hope the City Council will unanimously approve it along with amendments we submitted to make it in sync with the national ban on silver jewelry cleaner containing cyanide and other toxic substances,” Dizon said in the letter.

Delarmente sought an imprisonment of up to three months and fine of not less than P5,000 for unauthorized selling of the silver jewelry cleaner, noting that it could endanger the health and safety of the community with incidents of deaths resulting from improper use or storage.

EcoWaste sought a longer prison term and higher monetary fine for offenders “since this criminal act can result in grave injury and even death.”

Citing data from the UP National Poison Management and Control Center, EcoWaste said silver jewelry cleaner ranked No. 6 in the list of toxicants for in-patient cases in 2014. SM