The group purchased the popular kiddie slippers on the online platform Shopee for testing, priced at 45-55 Philippine pesos. The colourful slippers with elastic bands, bearing the name of popular brands, are intended for those aged one to three.
Using a Vanta C XRF Chemical Analyser, the group screened the slippers and detected toxic lead levels ranging from 393 parts per million (ppm) to as high as 4,300 ppm.
Additionally, the chlorine content exceeded 100,000 ppm, indicating that the material is likely polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a substance potentially hazardous to children's health.
"Children's products, such as kiddie slippers, should undergo testing and screening for toxic chemicals before being marketed to the public. Consumers must be aware of the risks associated with exposure, such as skin contact with hazardous chemicals," said Thony Dizon, advocacy and campaign officer at BAN Toxics.
He said toxic chemicals like lead could compromise children's immune systems and brain development, adding the government must take action to prohibit the entry of unregistered and un-notified children's products into the market.
"Likewise, online shopping platforms should implement stricter quality control measures. Otherwise, we are putting the public at risk," he added.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, lead is particularly dangerous to children because their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults do and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.
Babies and young children can also be more highly exposed to lead because they often put their hands and other objects that can have lead from dust or soil on them into their mouths, it said.
Children may also be exposed to lead by eating and drinking food or water containing lead or from dishes or glasses that contain lead, inhaling lead dust from lead-based paint or lead-contaminated soil, or playing with toys with lead-based paint, the independent agency of the US government added.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines has issued a chemical control order for lead and lead compounds to regulate, restrict, or prohibit the import, manufacturing, processing, sale, distribution, use, and disposal of chemical substances and mixtures that pose an unreasonable risk or injury to health or the environment.
BAN Toxics also raised concerns about the potential presence of PVC in plastic slippers, including additives like phthalates. These plasticisers, used to make PVC soft and flexible, are known to disrupt the hormonal system and are classified as probable human carcinogens.
The watchdog advised consumers to carefully check product labels, purchase from reputable stores that issue receipts, verify products using the FDA verification portal of the Philippines, and choose rubber slippers as a safer alternative. However, it cautioned that surface paint coatings on such products should also be assessed for safety.
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