Beware of toxic school supplies!

With the opening of another school year a few days away (or ilang tulog na lang, kids!), a lot of savvy parents have probably done their yearly assignment  that is, the requisite school shopping. Through the years (or school year after school year), this shopping list of school essentials seems to grow longer and longer as prices soar higher and higher, and our purse strings get meager and meager. Parents who want to beat the rush and the high prices draw up their checklist long before summer vacation is over. But parents never take a vacation from expenses, do they? For parents with grade school kids, here’s a sample checklist: textbooks, uniforms, school bag, school shoes/rubber shoes for PE, notebooks, plastic covers for notebooks and textbooks, three-ring binder, pencils/ballpens, pencil case, markers, crayons, watercolors, pad paper, art paper, crepe paper, Manila paper, scissors, molding clay, ruler, sharpener, erasers, folders, envelopes, flash cards, maps, popsicle sticks (for math), index cards, flash cards. Did we forget something? Oh, yes, the lunchbox and, more importantly, what to put inside it, which is a daily struggle for a lot of moms who must stretch their imagination while stretching their budget to come up with nutritious meals for their precious kids. And on top of that, some school allowance (for incidental expenses in school or maybe to buy food in the canteen if your kid has no baon). A hand sanitizer would also come in handy, or some wet wipes.

For parents who have yet to do their school shopping, read this before you go out and buy: Check your list twice, thrice or more; you’d better watch out for toxic materials in those school supplies (or those that can leach harmful substances), so warns a pollution watchdog.

In a bid to promote chemical safety awareness and action, The EcoWaste Coalition admonished back-to-school shoppers to abstain from buying goods made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or what is also known as vinyl or plastic number “3.”

Thony Dizon, coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project PROTECT (People Responding and Organizing against Toxic Chemical Threats), tells us why we should shun PVC: “PVC products are loaded with many additives that can transfer into the environment, posing chemical risks to humans, especially to young children, and, as a precautionary measure, must be avoided.”

Dizon notes that one of the additives of concern is a family of industrial chemicals called phthalates, which are added to PVC plastics to make them softer, more flexible, and durable.

In several studies done in animals and humans, phthalates have been linked to serious ailments such as endocrine disorders, reproductive abnormalities, asthma, kidney damage, and liver cancer. As a result, in 2005, the European Union took action by prohibiting six types of phthalates in children’s toys and products. The United States followed suit in 2008.

Dizon thus sends this urgent message to parents, “To minimize children’s exposure to chemical poisons in school supplies, we urge parents to assert their lawful rights as consumers to demand for complete product information and for safe products without hazardous contents such as phthalates.”

In May last year, EcoWaste Coalition did its homework and bought five common school supplies, and sent them to Taiwan for laboratory analysis. Look, what they found! These school supplies were found to contain high levels of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate or DEHP, a suspected human carcinogen.  Found to contain elevated levels of DEHP were a green long plastic envelope (19.881 percent DEHP), a PVC plastic book cover (18.997 percent DEHP), a PVC notebook cover (18.543 percent DEHP), a PVC plastic lunch bag and a PVC backpack (both with 17.120 percent DEHP).

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, the limit for DEHP and five other phthalates is 0.1% of any children’s product for ages 12 and under.

These toxic findings prompted then Education Secretary Mona Valisno to promise a probe on the toxic contents of school supplies.  But says Dizon, “We are not sure if the Department of Education was able to conduct its own investigation as promised by then Secretary Valisno.  If they did, we request them to publicize their findings.”

To protect our children against phthalate exposure, the EcoWaste Coalition has adopted the following tips for avoiding PVC school supplies from the US-based Center for Health, Environment and Justice:

• Clothing and accessories: Look for PVC-free materials in rainwear (that is, rain boots and raincoats), prints on clothing, and accessories such as handbags, jewelry, and belts.

• Backpacks: Avoid backpacks with shiny plastic designs as these often contain PVC and may contain lead.

• Notebooks: Avoid notebooks containing metal spirals encased in colored plastic. The colored plastic coating on the metal spirals usually contains PVC. Select notebooks with uncovered metal spirals to avoid PVC.

• Art supplies: Avoid modeling polymer clays made of PVC.

• Packaging of school supplies: Avoid single-use disposable packaging, or those marked PVC or plastic number 3, whenever possible.  Avoid products packaged in unlabeled plastics, such as clamshells and blister packs, which may contain PVC.  Choose products with packaging made from more easily recycled materials like paper or cardboard.

• Paperclips: Stick to the plain metal paperclips. Colored paper clips are coated with PVC.

• Three-ring binders: Use cardboard, fabric-covered, or polypropylene binders. Most three-ring binders are made of PVC.

• Organizers and address books: Choose organizers/address books made with sustainably harvested wood, metal, or paper covers. Avoid those made of plastic — these sometimes contain PVC.

• Food wrap: Use PVC-free butcher paper, waxed paper, parchment paper, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or cellulose bags.

• Lunchboxes: Avoid plastic lunch boxes that are made of or lined with PVC. Use cloth lunch bags or metal lunchboxes.

• Utensils and dishware: Use stainless steel utensils.

• Umbrellas: Avoid shiny and colorful plastic umbrellas as these are typically made out of PVC. Look for those made out of other materials such as nylon.

Good morning, class!   –Ching M. Alano (The Philippine Star)