Taking the lead in promoting a lead-safe school environment

As untiring members of Brigada Eskwela (Bayanihan Para Sa Paaralan) collectively prepare to roll up their sleeves and get down to brass tacks for the School Repair and Renovation Week, the EcoWaste Coalition and the Philippine Association of Paint Manufacturers,
Inc. (PAPM) jointly reminded the volunteers to apply lead-safe practices to prevent lead paint chips or
dust from spreading as they go about fixing leaking water pipes, repairing broken furniture and windows, and cleaning toilets.

As you probably know, Brigada Eskwela is a volunteer effort that brings together teachers, parents, students, and community members who donate their time and effort and materials (like paint, lumber, and cement) to do minor repairs and clean-ups in their schools. It’s part of the Oplan Balik Eskwela Program and National Maintenance Week of the Department of Education.

On the other hand, EcoWaste Coalition and PAPM are spearheading the ongoing effort to
eliminate lead paint in the country in line with the Chemical Control
Order for Lead and Lead Compounds issued by the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) in December 2013.


•  Keep children and pregnant women out of the work area (lead is very
hazardous to unborn children).


• Do not eat, drink or smoke in the work area.



• Use reusable or recyclable containers for volunteers’ beverages and foods.


• Use lead-safe paint for school interiors, exteriors, furniture and
fixtures to prevent dispersal of lead dust in the surroundings.


• Opt for safer cleaning agents and avoid hazardous ones such as muriatic acid and dichlorobenzene for cleaning toilets.

• Do not disturb lead painted surfaces in good condition.



•  Cover cracked or deteriorated surfaces with lead-safe paint. Do not
dry sand or dry scrape painted surfaces.



• Wet sand or wet scrape if desired or needed.  Use a spray bottle or
wet sponge to keep the surface damp and the airborne dust levels low.



• Properly handle and manage busted mercury-containing fluorescent lamps and other “special waste.”

• Work clean: Create as little dust as possible, clean up thoroughly, and
dispose of paint waste properly.



• Thoroughly wash hands with soap and water after any repainting work.



• After a repainting job, change clothes before going home, set aside in
a sealed reusable bag and wash separately.

• Keep the Brigada Eskwela’s residual trash to the minimum.

•  Separate biodegradable waste from non-biodegradable waste.  


•  Do not set discards on fire.  â€¨â€¨

•  Turn bio-waste, such as grasses, leaves, and twigs, into compost and reuse and recycle the rest.



•  Spruce up the school’s ecology center or materials recovery facility (MRF). 

“The lead dust that may be created as a result of school renovation
activities can cause serious health problems for the Brigada Eskwela
participants, with the children at highest risk of exposure,” says Henry
So, PAPM president.

 “For instance, disturbing a surface previously coated with lead paint by dry sanding or
scraping will produce huge amounts of lead-containing dust particles and
should be avoided.”

Aileen Lucero, EcoWaste Coalition coordinator, warns,
 “Children may ingest the lead paint chip or dust through normal
hand-to-mouth activities as they move, eat, and play around the classroom,
hallway or school grounds.Ingesting or breathing into lead dust has the potential of permanently
damaging a child’s developing brain and nervous system, causing learning
disabilities and decreased intelligence as measured by IQ scores.”

Aileen stresses that health authorities have identified “no safe blood
lead levels for children.”



According to the World Health Organization, childhood lead exposure is said to contribute to some 600,000 new
cases of children with intellectual disabilities every year. WHO has listed lead as one of the “10
chemicals of major public health concern.”

So, let’s all do our homework to keep our schoolchildren out of harmful lead’s way.