Toxics

THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday assured the public that they would do some preventive measures on all plastic toys that are being sold in the country now that the Christmas season is coming. Health Secretary Enrique Ona in a radio interview said that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) would conduct tests to…

Cash register receipts and paper money have been found to contain high levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical linked to cancer, obesity and early puberty, a study published on Wednesday said.

MANILA, Philippines – Ten whitening products banned by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for containing mercury have resurfaced in the market, the environmental group Eco­Waste Coalition said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – Shoppers were advised yesterday against buying toys laced with harmful substances that pose health risks to children.

Koronadal City (4 December) — Hospitals in Region 12 or SOCCSKSARGEN Region lead the more than 600 hospitals in the country in complying with the Department of Health (DOH) mandate to phase out use of mercury-containing devices.

It doesn’t require too much imagination. Just visualize the obsolete cell phones, computers, TVs, modems, and tangle of wires sitting somewhere in your home–I suspect many of us have electronic stuff that’s basically just baggage. The EPA estimates that nationwide there were 2.25 million U.S. tons of PCs, peripherals, TVs, and phones discarded in 2007,…

MANILA, Philippines – Laboratory tests show that 69 percent of household enamel paints sold locally exceed the standard for lead levels in paint set by the United States, the group EcoWaste Coalition said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have imposed a ban on the use of solutions with cyanide and other toxic substances in cleaning silver jewelry.

MANILA, Philippines—More than 700 hospitals all over the country have so far conformed with a Department of Health (DoH) order for the gradual phaseout of all medical devices containing mercury, a nongovernment environmental health group said Tuesday.

MONTALBAN, Rizal — Four hauler trucks containing waste materials at the vicinity of Barangay Macabud here were accosted by Montalban policemen.

A suspected chemical leak from a construction site downed a teacher and 14 students of a high school in Iloilo City Monday afternoon.

BAGUIO CITY: In an effort to warn miners about the negative effects of mercury, a Dane recently launched a crusade to lessen, if not eradicate, its use in gold mines in and around the country. Peter Appel of the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland said that he can help mitigate the dangers of mercury…

MANILA, Philippines—A United States-based Filipino doctor who specializes in caring for premature babies or neonates yesterday warned against the use of pesticides and insecticides at home to combat mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria.

MANILA, Philippines – Environmental group Ecowaste Coalition has warned against the dangers of cadmium, a known carcinogen found in children’s jewelry in the US.

With the start of the “ber” months, a toxic watchdog has called on the authorities to test toys for harmful chemicals to ensure that only safe toys are offered for sale in the build-up toward Christmas gift-giving.

The EcoWaste Coalition, a waste and pollution watchdog, held a mock wake called “Kaluksa” in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City recently following the death on June 24 of a one-year-old baby girl who mistakenly drank silver cleaner in Paco, Manila.

It may be hot in Manila, but last week, the mercury soared in Stockholm, as members of the international community were locked in a burning discussion of the day’s headline-making issue: preparing a legally-binding treaty on mercury. With this in mind, our man in Stockholm, Manny Calonzo, reports that waste and toxic watchdog EcoWaste Coalition…

A campaign to stop the use of mercury is bound to fail unless the government pursues it vigorously and provides it with adequate support. An environmental group raise this concern on Friday noting that the Budget department has yet to release the funds earmarked for the campaign three months before the deadline for the mercury…

MANILA, Philippines – An environmental group yesterday welcomed the promise made by the Department of Education to investigate the use of toxic chemicals in school supplies and products for children.

With the new academic year about to start, the EcoWaste Coalition warned of possible presence of a dangerous compound in school supplies. The group bought five samples and had them tested. The products tested positive for di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or DEHP, a suspected carcinogen, exceeding by 200 times the limit imposed by the US government.

Two multinational companies are lending support to the campaign to stop the use of mercury in all Philippine health care facilities and institutions.

As the Brigada Eskwela goes in full swing in preparation for the reopening of schools, volunteers are warned of possible exposure to lead in paint, chips and dust as they go about sprucing up the classrooms.

Attention all parents! With the school opening just around the proverbial corner, a waste and pollution watchdog has cautioned parents against buying toxin-laced school supplies that can expose their children to harmful substances and affect their growth and development.

MANILA, Philippines – Environmental group EcoWaste Coalition yesterday asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct more stringent tests on skin whitening products for traces of mercury.     In a letter to FDA director Nazarita Tacandong, EcoWaste asked the agency to organize random market inspections to detect and eliminate other toxic chemicals such as lead,…

MANILA, Philippines – Hospitals and other health care services greatly endanger the country’s diminishing water supply because of improper disposal of infectious waste and toxic chemicals in canals and other bodies of water.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health said yesterday four of 20 state-run hospitals in the country continue to use mercury-containing medical devices despite an order for its gradual phase-out in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) may recommend to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) the banning on the importation of mercury-containing products in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – Environmental organizations have lauded the unveiling of a global mechanism that would help countries, including the Philippines, address the “highly toxic” industrial chemical PCB or polychlorinated biphenyl.

Two months ago, I wrote about the campaign to phase out mercury-based healthcare materials like thermometers and sphygmomanometers (blood pressure taking devices) in hospitals and households. In that article entitled “Doing away with mercury”, I also talked about the Department of Health’s Administrative Order 21, issued in July 2008. The order mandated all hospitals to…

This is not about the 1998 Bruce Willis-starrer/action thriller where Willis plays an undercover FBI agent tasked to protect a nine-year-old autistic boy who’s being pursued by assassins for cracking a top secret government code. It’s about the rising mercury wastes in our midst. From your high school science subject, you’ve probably learned that mercury…