‘Beware of toxic-laden school supplies’

MANILA, Philippines — Environmental watchdogs EcoWaste Coalition and Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) have warned parents and government authorities against school supplies containing the toxic substance phthalates, which may be harmful to children.

In a joint press statement, the environmental groups said phthalates, a synthetic compound usually used to soften products made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, is among the known endocrine disrupting chemicals or EDCs.

According to EcoWaste and IDIS, exposure to high concentrations of phthalates can affect hormones such as estrogen or testosterone. It can also interfere with normal growth and brain development of children.

“Children unknowingly ingest phthalates in a plastic eraser whenever they put it in the mouth. Exposures to phthalates can adversely affect a child’s health, including contributing to neurodevelopmental and behavioral problems, obesity as well as increasing risk of allergic diseases such as asthma,” IDIS program coordinator Lemuel Manalo said.

EcoWaste adviser Manny Calonzo said that aside from plastic erasers, other potential sources of phthalates are school supplies made of PVC plastic such as backpacks, raincoats, vinyl toys, processed food, cosmetics and flooring materials.

“It is important to minimize, if not eliminate, such sources to protect children from being exposed to phthalates,” Calonzo said.

EcoWaste and IDIS cited the results of phthalate analysis for eraser samples from the Philippines carried out by the Wonjin Institute for Occupational and Environmental Health, with support from the Korea Financial Industry Public Interest Foundation as part of the EDC-Free Asia project.

Out of 40 eraser samples bought from retailers in the Philippines and sent to South Korea for analysis, 31 or 78 percent were found to contain one or more phthalates such as DEHP, DBP, DiBP and DINP. Of the samples, 19 or 48 percent were found to have phthalate concentration of 10.1 percent to 36.7 percent.