DepEd to look into lead warning in raincoats

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) wants an environmental watchdog group to make public its list of raincoat brands supposedly containing high levels of lead.

Cristina Ganzon, DepEd Communications Unit director, made the appeal after the EcoWaste Coalition warned about raincoats for children containing the toxic chemical.

“We suggest that EcoWaste Coalition publish their findings of (raincoat) brands that are found to be containing harmful amounts of lead as certified by the Department of Health for the information of parents,” Ganzon said. 

The DepEd official said they will take steps in forwarding the matter to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“It may also be proper for the DTI to be informed of these brands so they can alert the manufacturers/importers,” Ganzon said.

EcoWaste Coalition earlier said that raincoats containing lead expose children to a potentially brain-damaging chemical.

The US threshold limit for lead is 90 ppm under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

The group detected the presence of lead in pencil cases, raincoats and a variety of bags.

Health experts said that there is no safe level of lead exposure, especially for children, according to Thony Dizon, coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.