Summer footnote: Beware of toxic slippers

The rising temperature  and tempers  can only tell you that it’s summer. Time for some fun in the sun. Time to head to the beach and slip into your not-so-teeny-weeny bikini and a pair of flip-flops. But before you do, do read this: High amounts of heavy metals were uncovered in what can be considered a summer beach essential: slippers.

A toxics watchdog went shopping for summer slippers, screening them for toxic contents. With its all-important X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer, the EcoWaste Coalition detected lead, antimony, barium, and cadmium above levels of concern in 11 out of the 20 samples screened.

FYI, lead is a known brain-damaging poison and kids are at high risk because of their fast-developing nervous systems. According to health experts, there’s no safe level of lead exposure, particularly for fetuses and children.

Of the 20 samples, nine topped the 90 parts per million (ppm) total lead content limit for painted surfaces under the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, while six went over the 60 ppm soluble content limit for antimony, three exceeded the 1,000 ppm soluble content limit for barium, and two surpassed the 75 soluble content limit for cadmium.

The samples were taken from vendors at Farmers’ Market and Mega Q-Mart and from popular retail establishments, all in Cubao, and from the Matalino St. branch of the 7-Eleven store chain.   

Among the samples screened, all three “Caribbean” flip-flops  “Jack,” “Madeline” and “Quentin” styles  registered the highest amounts of lead and antimony (up to 10,900 ppm for lead and up to 4,295 ppm for antimony).

“We are stunned by the detection of high levels of lead and other heavy metals frequently used as pigments or stabilizers in slippers whose safety aspects we often take for granted,” says a concerned Thony Dizon, coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.

He explains, “Aside from directly affecting those who wear these slippers, these toxic metals, particularly the lead on the painted parts of slippers, can spread into the environment as these wear out, as the soles rub on the ground and as these are later discarded or even burned.”

Dizon sends this urgent plea, “We therefore ask manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers to produce and market products with no lead and other harmful chemical ingredients, and to adequately label their products so consumers can make informed and safe choices.”

He addresses consumers, “We urge them to use their power to demand products that do not pose hazards to health and the environment.”

This is the second time that the Eco-Waste Coalition has analyzed slippers for chemicals that can adversely impact human health and that of Mother Earth. In 2009, the EcoWaste Coalition took part in a seven-country study on chemicals in slippers led by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. Findings showed high levels of copper, nickel, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in three samples obtained from Philippine stores.

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Shoe-off day

Today, April 10, TOMS enjoins everyone to go “One Day Without Shoes.” Yes, be a shoe-off and spread awareness on the impact a pair of shoes can have.

One Day Without Shoes is a worldwide event held yearly by TOMS. That means that for one day or for an hour, or even just for 10 minutes, you’re encouraged to take off your shoes to feel what it’s like not to wear or own one and realize what a difference a pair of shoes can make in the life of an impoverished child who has to walk several kilometers barefoot just to get to school.

The campaign this year is all about asking everyone to do what they normally do but without shoes. Yes, to go without shoes so some poor kids won’t have to.

TOMS Philippines continues its partnership with Ayala Malls as it hosts the event in Greenbelt 3 Park, Ayala Center, Makati City. Take off your shoes and walk for a cause. Put yourself in a child’s shoes by taking off your own.

Last year, in the Philippines and all over the world, people took off their shoes and had no second thoughts about going unshod.

To date, thousands of children have received shoes through TOMS Philippines’ giving partner, WE International.

Let’s go barefoot today and leave footprints in the hearts of the country’s unfortunate children.

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