EcoWaste cautions SK, bgy poll bets against use of ‘toxic’ tarpaulins

An environmental group urged the candidates of the upcoming Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and barangay elections to be careful on the use of their campaign materials.

EcoWaste Coalition said on Saturday that the printing of tarpaulin contains cadmium, a cancer-causing element.

“Tarpaulins such as those made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic often contain cadmium, a chemical that is deemed extremely harmful to human health and the environment,” Thony Dizon, Chemical Safety Campaigner of EcoWaste Coalition, said in a statement.

“We are concerned that cadmium-containing tarpaulins are adding to the growing toxicity of the waste stream that our society generates,” Dizon added.

Cadmium was determined by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau “to potentially cause unreasonable risk to public health, workplace, and the environment.”

EcoWaste Coalition is urging candidates to instead do house-to-house visits and not limit their resources to the production of campaign materials.

“Voters will surely remember candidates who have taken the trouble of visiting their homes and neighborhoods not only to shake hands but, more importantly, to chat with them about their concerns and how the Barangay and the SK could be of assistance to their lives,” Dizon said.                     /muf