A toxics-free school is cool

With the opening of a fresh new school year, an environment group has this urgent homework to give to the authorities: Give a safe and healthy learning environment for our school children.

Ban Toxics made this plea in view of a recent alarming expose on hazardous school items, such as bags and drinking bottles, being sold in bargain stalls in the metro.

“Together with these items, we should also be cautious of the toxic chemicals that are already found in the school premises,” warns Beng Reyes-Ong, Ban Toxics’ program coordinator for toxics-free schools.

Ban Toxics sat down with representatives from both private and public schools and they noted the presence of hazardous chemicals and equipment in school laboratories. Also, harmless-looking stuff like paint, electronic gadgets, and even lighting fixtures could harbor toxic substances like mercury, lead, and cadmium. While enhancing the properties of some products, these chemicals are laden with toxins. For instance, mercury and lead are neurotoxins that attack the brain and the central nervous system. Prolonged exposure to them, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), can cause learning disabilities and hinder the growth and development of children.

According to the World Health Organization, there are no safe levels of exposure for mercury.

Ong points out, “The presence of these hazardous substances is of great concern for us. We believe that schools should provide a safe setting that nurtures children’s health and encourages them to grow to their full potential.”

A lot of parents, who are understandably scared for their children, still can’t forget the unsettling headline-making mercury-spill incident that happened in a school in Parañaque in 2006. It happened in a Science class where the students were allowed to handle mercury. The victim, a 14-year-old boy, did not actually touch the poisonous liquid, but the mercury vapors floated in the air. The mercury poisoning has maimed him for life and stolen his future. No longer able to go to school and enjoy the things normal teens do, he’s been suffering from high-grade fevers and tremors.

Taking this tragic lesson to heart, Ban Toxics drafted a campaign to prevent similar accidents from happening.

With its task of keeping children safe from toxic chemicals as top priority, the Mercury-Free Schools program aims to educate school administrators, faculty, and students on the proper handling and management of toxic substances. The program initially focuses on the storage of mercury, but Ban Toxics assures that the carefully structured process can also be adapted and envisioned to tackle other toxins in the future.

The campaign has hit fever pitch, having reached over 300 schools across the country. In addition, private schools like De La Salle Greenhills, Claret School of Quezon City, and OB Montessori have expressed their willingness to partner with Ban Toxics and to take steps towards the toxics-free direction.

Even as the public and private schools have enthusiastically thrown their support behind the campaign, Ban Toxics believes that there should be a stronger directive from the Department of Education. Ong declares, “We are hoping that Education Secretary Armin Luistro of DepEd would pursue a more active role. It recently cautioned parents to be wary and to check schools if they are duly accredited by the Department. While such is important, the safety and security of school children should also be held in high regard. Thus, we think that school programs that internalize children’s health and elevate efforts on toxics-awareness, reduction, and removal needs to be part of the accreditation process.”

Note that in 2008, the Department of Health called for the phaseout of mercury and mercury-containing devices in all Philippine healthcare facilities.

For more information on how to eliminate mercury and other toxic chemicals from schools, log on to www.bantoxics.org or www.facebook.com/bantoxics.

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Attention suppliers of school products!

We’re reprinting this letter from Expressions: Dear Valued Suppliers,

This is to inform you that we are strictly requiring all suppliers to provide the Retail Merchandising Department with copies of documents certifying that all supplier products do not contain intolerable levels of hazardous chemicals, such as but not limited to, lead, cadmium, phthalates, arsenic, mercury, chromium, and antimony. These are commonly found in items made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

The Department of Education, Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Trade and Industry are now strictly monitoring all retailers and wholesalers of school supplies because of this concern on toxicity, to the point of subjecting items to toxin laboratory testing. However, we are also requiring the certification even from suppliers of toys and novelty items. All items proven to contain intolerable levels of hazardous substances are required to be pulled out from the selling area and customers are given the right to return those already purchased, at the expense of suppliers. Ronelle Flores Tucay Division merchandising manager – Basic Group Lyn Bernadette Martinez Division merchandising manager – NonBasic Group

Edwina Reunilla Vice president & general merchandising manager

*** We’d love to hear from you. E-mail us at ching_alano@yahoo.com.