Kristel’s mother wants silver cleaners banned

MANILA, Philippines - The mother of Kristel Tejada, the University of the Philippines Manila freshman who committed suicide last Friday reportedly for failing to pay her tuition, urged the government yesterday to ban the sale of the substance the victim drank.

“There should be a total ban and heavier penalty for those who are selling and buying silver cleaners,” Blesilda Tejada, 38, told members of the EcoWaste Coalition who attended Tejada’s wake at the Sanctuary Funeral Chapel in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Tejada, a 16-year-old Behavioral Science student, committed suicide by drinking silver cleaning solution at their house in Tondo, Manila. Police are looking into reports that the victim had purchased the silver cleaning solution.

Mrs. Tejada wondered why it is so easy to buy the solution, considering that there have been reports of other suicides using the same chemical.

Records at the Manila Police District (MPD) homicide section showed that several suicide cases in the city involved the use of silver cleaning chemicals.

The EcoWaste Coalition said Tejada’s death should serve as a wake-up call for the Department of Health and Department of Environment and Natural Resources to implement a ban on the sale of silver jewelry cleaning solutions that contain cyanide and other toxic chemicals.

The two government agencies’ advisory strictly prohibits the importation, manufacture, distribution and selling of silver cleaner without proper product registration and labeling.