TOXIC CHEMICALS IN CHILDREN’S SCHOOL SUPPLIES

The Ecowaste Coalition, a toxics watchdog group in the Philippines, is advising parents to be careful when buying school supplies and children’s products as many of these contain chemicals hazardous to children’s health.

The group recently bought 110 assorted school supplies – from backpacks to paper clips – from retail stores and online sellers in the Philippines and analysed them for heavy metals. Here’s what they found.

> 18 backpacks and lunch bags, mostly decorated with cartoon characters, had 168-2,224 ppm of lead, with 3 items laden with both lead and cadmium.

> 1 pouch bag had 28,230 ppm lead detected on the yellow paint of its zipper.

> 4 stainless steel water bottles were coated with paints with lead ranging from 3,220 ppm to over 100,000 ppm, way above the 90 ppm limit for lead in paints and similar surface coatings.

> 7 plastic envelopes, folders and notebook covers contained cadmium from 130-330 ppm, exceeding the European Union (EU)’s limit of 100 ppm for cadmium in all plastics.

> 3 kiddie rain coats contained 282-317 ppm of cadmium, higher than the EU’s 100 limit for cadmium in plastics.

> 7 brands of vinyl coated paper clips contained 6,740-30,710 ppm of lead, surpassing the EU limit of 1,000 ppm for lead in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic.

> 7 erasers were labelled PVC or qualified as PVC based on tests. (Ssoft PVC-based products may contain toxic plasticisers called “phthalates”.

Cadmium and lead are toxic and are linked to decreased cognitive abilities, learning difficulties and other adverse health effects. They have no place in things that parents buy for their children’s schooling as children are particularly sensitive and vulnerable to chemical exposures.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lead “is a cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems, including the neurologic, hematologic, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and renal systems”. The WHO also warned “children are particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of lead, and even relatively low levels of exposure can cause serious, and in some cases, irreversible neurological damage”.

Cadmium is categorised by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as “carcinogenic to humans”. It is also recognised as a reproductive and developmental toxicant associated with reduced birth weight, premature birth, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion and birth defects in humans, as well as behavioural and learning disabilities.

Both cadmium and lead are included in the WHO’s list of 10 chemicals of groups of chemicals of major public health concern.

A Similar Situation in Malaysia

In April last year, CAP had issued a similar alert after tests conducted on erasers and thermal papers from Malaysia found endocrine-disrupting chemicals in them. The study was done with the assistance of the Wonjin Institute for Occupational and Environmental Health (WIOEH), with support from the Financial Industry Public Interest Foundation (FIPIF), both in Korea.

Out of 44 samples of thermal papers submitted from Malaysia, 27 were found to contain Bisphenol A (BPA) and 13 samples had Bisphenol S (BPS). In the study on erasers, 26 of 40 samples tested had phthalates. (https://consumer.org.my/cap-endocrine-disrupting…/)

According to the report, “Plastics, EDCs, and Health” published by the Endocrine Society and IPEN, “EDCs are linked to neurological and behavioural disorders, obesity and metabolic dysfunction, reproductive disorders, and hormone-sensitive cancers,” noting that “the production and use of phthalates is a public health concern because several phthalates have been identified as EDCs”.

Children are Most Vulnerable to Environmental Toxicants

According to Dr Geminn Louis Apostol, environmental health specialist, Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health – Center for Research and Innovation (ACRI): “Children are most vulnerable to environmental toxicants because they breathe more air, drink more water and consume more food in proportion to their body weight and because their bodily systems and defences are still developing. Children’s hand-mouth and hand-object behaviour further contributes to increased exposures to these toxicants, which may affect a child’s development and even her or his health later in life.”

“To protect our children’s health, we need to impose a full ban on hazardous chemicals in school supplies and other children’s products. And we need to make it mandatory for the chemical ingredients of a product to be clearly marked on the packaging, starting with products marketed for children’s use such as school supplies and toys,” says Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition.

The Ecowaste Coalition has the following buying tips for parents:

1.  Carefully read the product labelling information.
2.  Avoid PVC plastic, such as those with a strong chemical smell.
3.  If you have already bought plastic school supplies with a strong chemical odour, place them within direct sunlight to remove the smell.
4.  Select erasers that are marked “phthalate free” or “PVC-free”. Avoid scented and food-shaped erasers.
5.  Choose crayons with a “non-toxic” label.
6.  Go for plain stainless steel water bottles, and avoid painted ones unless certified “lead safe”.