toxic chemical

QUEZON CITY — In anticipation of World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) on March 15, themed “Safe Products, Confident Consumers,” over 50 health and environmental rights advocates sent an urgent appeal to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take timely and decisive regulatory action to ensure that all play and craft sand products available in the Philippine market are demonstrably free from asbestos, a known carcinogen with no known safe level of exposure.

The appeal for “mandatory testing, certification and labeling of asbestos-free play and craft sand products,” initiated by the toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition, was triggered by recent recalls in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, following tests confirming asbestos contamination of such products, “even when marketed as safe for children.”

“These incidents underscore a critical regulatory gap: products of a similar type and supply chains may already be present in the Philippine market without routine verification of asbestos safety,” they said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies asbestos as one of the 10 chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern. In children, the risks are compounded by developmental vulnerability and frequent hand-to-mouth behaviors, increasing the likelihood of ingestion or inhalation.

All forms of asbestos are already prohibited in toys and other products under the DENR Administrative Order No. 2000-02, or the Chemical Control Order for Asbestos, yet without systematic testing and certification requirements, this prohibition cannot be reliably enforced in practice, the signatories noted.

“The Philippines has already established a strong policy position against asbestos in consumer products. At this critical juncture, decisive regulatory enforcement and transparency measures are needed to translate policy into effective protection, especially for children and other at-risk members of society,” the letter said.

With these points in mind, the concerned groups and individuals appealed to the FDA to implement the following steps:

A. Mandatory third-party laboratory certification confirming that all play and craft sand products are asbestos-free before market authorization;

B. Clear, visible, and standardized “asbestos-free” labeling on all product packaging to support informed consumer choice;

C. Strengthened post-market surveillance and enforcement, including targeted sampling of products sold through physical stores, e-commerce platforms, and social media channels.

In light of the recent international recalls and the potential for similar products to circulate locally, and in pursuit of the objectives of the Global Framework on Chemicals – For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste, they further urged the FDA to undertake immediate risk mitigation actions, including:

A. Conduct immediate verification to determine if products recalled abroad are locally sold and the swift recall of the same;

B. Prompt market sampling and laboratory testing of currently available products, including products sold without authorization; and

C. Order a precautionary, time-bound restriction on the sale of play and craft sand products pending submission of verified laboratory results by Market Authorization Holders.

These actions are consistent with the precautionary principle and reflect the State’s duty to proactively prevent harm, particularly when children’s health is at stake, and exposure risks are avoidable, the groups and individuals said.

“We stand ready to support the FDA in advancing this initiative, including through stakeholder engagement and public awareness efforts. We respectfully seek your urgent consideration of the above recommendations to ensure that no child in the Philippines is exposed to preventable risks from contaminated play products,” the civil society letter to the FDA concluded.

Groups and individuals from the academic, environmental, health, science and technology, labor, and waste sectors, including the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health – Center for Research and Innovation (ACRI), Action for Nurturing Children and Environment (ANCE), Arugaan, Green Convergence for Safe Food, Healthy Environment and Sustainable Economy, Greepeace, Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), Living Laudato Si Movement, Mother Earth Foundation (MEF), and the Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC), signed the appeal sent to the FDA on March 9, 2026.

In particular, organizations working on asbestos issues extended their support, including the Associated Labor Unions – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP); Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD); Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia (ADSA); Toxics Free Australia (TFA); Consumer Protection Organization (LPKSM) Yasa Nata Budi, Local Initiative for OSH Network (LION) and Nexus 3 Foundation, Indonesia; Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP), Malaysia; Center for Public Health and Environmental Development (CEPHED), Nepal; Consumer NZ, New Zealand; and the Airtight on Asbestos, UK.

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.

Civil society presses FDA to assure consumers that play and craft sand products sold locally are asbestos-free

EcoWaste Coalition discovers toxic cadmium in plastic fiesta banderitas