QUEZON CITY –. Plastic fiesta banderitas pose a dual threat: the massive quantity used for a non-essential purpose and their inherent toxicity.
The environmental watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition made this observation after finding colorful plastics used in the banderitas for the popular feast of the Santo Niño with cadmium, a cancer-causing substance classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the 10 chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern.
Cadmium, with chemical symbol Cd and atomic number 48, is a cumulative toxin linked to central nervous system and cardiovascular disorders, respiratory issues, cognitive and behavioral problems, bone weakening, kidney damage, and increased risk of cancers such as kidney, lung, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.
The EcoWaste Coalition, which advocates for a zero-waste and toxics-free society, revealed its findings following a chemical screening it conducted on new plastic sheets for making banderitas. Sold for P38 per meter in Binondo, Manila, these plastics are widely used to decorate many communities celebrating the festive feast in honor of the Child Jesus.
With the aid of a handheld Olympus M Vanta Series X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, the group detected cadmium at levels exceeding 100 parts per million (ppm), the maximum limit for this chemical under the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (ROHS). The regional bloc banned cadmium in plastics as early as 2011 to protect public health and reduce pollution.
Of the nine colors bought and analyzed, all were found to contain cadmium, ranging from 224 to 336 ppm, way above the 100 ppm limit.
The green, orange, and violet colors contained 336 ppm, 320 ppm, and 315 ppm of cadmium. The blue, yellow, white, brown, red, and pink colors had 299 ppm, 298 ppm, 286 ppm, 269 ppm, 244 ppm, and 224 ppm, respectively.
The detection of cadmium in the banderitas may be attributed to its use as a stabilizer in plastic manufacturing, particularly in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which uses many toxic additives, such as plasticizers like phthalates to make it flexible and soft, and heavy metal stabilizers like cadmium and lead to prevent the plastic from degrading during processing and use.
Aside from the cadmium exposure effects on humans, particularly among workers in factories and waste facilities, and to consumers, the EcoWaste Coalition is concerned about the release of cadmium in the environment through the disposal of materials containing cadmium, such as plastic fiesta banderitas, which often end up being dumped or landfilled.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Final Review of Scientific Information on Cadmium, “products containing cadmium are not typically collected separately from the general waste stream in developing countries. Therefore, cadmium discards will end up in municipal waste and disposed of in landfills, incineration, open burning, or indiscriminate dumping.”
The plastic fiesta banderitas will turn into microplastics and nanoplastics as they break down in dumpsites, releasing the harmful chemicals into the environment. If incinerated, the banderitas will cause the formation and discharge of dioxins, the toxic byproducts of burning chlorinated materials such as PVC plastic.
This is not the first time the EcoWaste Coalition detected cadmium in PVC plastic materials as part of its advocacy to protect public health and the environment from hazardous chemicals, and contribute to building a zero waste and toxics-free society.
Laboratory tests commissioned by the group confirmed the cadmium content of the analyzed PVC plastic school bags, PVC plastic raincoats, and PVC plastic tarpaulins, such as those used in the last mid-term elections.
For example, 12 campaign tarpaulins used by senatorial candidates during the May 12, 2025 elections and subsequently sent to a private laboratory for cadmium analysis were found to contain 219 ppm to 736 ppm of cadmium.
As Zero Waste Month is observed this January as per Presidential Proclamation 760, the EcoWaste Coalition emphasized the urgency of adopting and enforcing global, national, and local policies to prevent, reduce, and eliminate plastic pollution. Among other things, this will entail the identification and transparency for chemicals used in plastic manufacturing, the eventual phase-out of toxic plastic chemicals, and putting a cap on plastic production, the group added.
