Watchdog warns of toxic silver cleaners

Buyers are being warned of the toxic contents of silver jewelry, the Ecowaste Coalition said.

Many are unaware that cyanide-laced cleaning solutions are openly sold in jewelry shops and malls in Makati City, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Manila, and Quezon City, according to Thony Dizon, coordinator of EcoWaste’s Project Protect.

“The unlawful trade of cyanide-laced silver cleaning agents has not stopped and so are the deadly poisoning incidents involving the weak and the poor,” Dizon said.

Dizon said test buys they conducted over the weekend showed that these harmful products are being sold in jewelry shops in Metro Manila.

Each bottle of silver cleaning solution costs from P30 to P150.

Dizon said they have notified the Food and Drugs Administration and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources about the matter.

The EcoWaste Coalition expressed dismay over the continued sale of toxic silver cleaner and their use as suicidal potion by people suffering from emotional, financial, health and relationship issues.

At least five people aged 17 to 62 have died from January to June 2012 due to the deliberate ingestion of cyanide-containing silver cleaner, according to the media monitoring by the EcoWaste Coalition. –Ferdinand Fabella, Manila Standard Today