The ghastly truth about Halloween products
It may still be weeks away but already, the stores are getting into the spirit of the celebration. Well, this cryptic note we received from a toxics watchdog may scare you to death: 17 Halloween products have been found to contain toxic chemicals.
For yet another fun and spooktacular Halloween, while watching out for ghoulies, ghosties, long-legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night, you had better watch out, too, for those nasty chemicals lurking in some Halloween masks, props, and face paints being sold on the market.
The EcoWaste Coalition team was recently on the prowl for toxic Halloween products. It swooped down on a number of stores in Metro Manila and bought some freaky, fun Halloween stuff for testing. The tests found eerie levels of heavy metals such as antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury in some of the samples.
The horrific fact is that none of the samples provided information about their chemical ingredients to at least inform and warn consumers.
“Consumers are literally kept in the dark about these creepy substances in some Halloween products,” laments Thony Dizon, coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect. “It’s high time for manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers to fully disclose the chemical contents of the products they make and sell, and replace toxic chemicals with safer substitutes.”
Using the magnificent X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, the group screened 60 products bought at P10 to P350 from top-ranked retail stores in Mandaluyong, Makati, Taguig, and Quezon Cities, as well as from a booming bargain toy store in Divisoria, Manila.
These samples were purchased last September 26 and 27 with official receipts and subjected to XRF screening last September 28.
And by ghouly! Here’s what they found: Out of 60 products, 17 (28 percent) were found to contain at least one toxic metal above levels of concern. Ten samples, in particular, contain excessive quantities of lead up to 2,091 parts per million (ppm), in violation of the US lead paint standard of 90 ppm.
Out of the 17 tainted products, seven had more than one toxic metal, which raises the potential damage to health due to multiple exposures.
Some of the most toxic Halloween products unearthed by the EcoWaste Coalition were as follows:
1. A pirate mask for kids that has 2,091 ppm of lead, 1,885 ppm of chromium, and 299 ppm of arsenic.
2. A scary white mask with blood that has 6,749 ppm of antimony and 117 ppm of lead.
3. A face paint with glitters that has 918 ppm of lead, 198 ppm of chromium, 80 ppm of arsenic, and 7.9 ppm of mercury.
Dizon adds, “Test results also show that 43 samples had low or non-detectable levels of heavy metals indicating the technical and commercial viability of producing products without toxic metals.”
As clear as daylight, he informs us, “The absence or low detection of heavy metals in some of the samples does not guarantee full product safety as the tests excluded other chemicals of concern such as endocrine disrupting chemicals like phthalates in products made of polyvinyl chloride or PVC materials.”
But if you’re ready to party for Halloween, don’t let this scary tale put you in dour spirits. Dr. Bessie Antonio, a pediatric toxicologist at East Avenue Medical Center and a resource person on chemical safety of EcoWaste Coalition, admonishes consumers to exercise caution when purchasing Halloween products. “Exposure to heavy metals in consumer products should be avoided as much as possible as these chemicals can cause adverse effects on human health and the environment,” warns Antonio who also sits as vice president of the Philippine Society of Clinical and Occupational Toxicology.
As more and more Filipino children take part in the celebration, the EcoWaste Coalition shares some enlightening ideas with parents to make Halloween safer and even more fun for their kids:
• Encourage your children to explore their creativity and make their own costumes without spending money by using recycled, eco-friendly materials. Check this site for some creative recycled Halloween costume ideas: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycled-halloween-costume-470708.
• For face painting, especially for extra-ghostly effect, try honey or cold cream mixed with cornstarch (arina), cassava starch (gawgaw) or baby powder (pulbos) and food color. Get protected against allergenic, irritating, and toxic ingredients, read this: http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm143055.htm.
• If you really need to buy any of those Halloween stuff, read the product label carefully and, on top of asking “how much,” know what chemicals are present in the product. Assert your right to truthful product information, and your right to be protected against hazardous chemicals in products.
• Make your children aware of the health effects of toys contaminated with harmful bacteria and chemicals. As a precaution against bacterial and chemical exposure, advise children not to put toys into their mouths, and remind them to wash their hands thoroughly before meals.
Now, that should put less scare and more cheer to Halloween.
