Bets urged not to use ‘toxic’ election materials
Toxics watchdog EcoWaste Coalition on Wednesday urged candidates in the May 12 elections to reduce their use of campaign tarpaulins made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which could contain cadmium, a carcinogenic.
The group said it found that plastic scraps used by shops making campaign tarpaulins contained cadmium above 100 parts per million (ppm), which is over the limit set by the European Commission (EC) under its Regulation No. 494/2011.
EcoWaste said in a statement that it collected 70 plastic scraps from several shops in the City of Manila that make campaign materials for P4 per square foot, or P24 per 2-by-3-feet poster.
After testing the materials with an X-ray fluorescence device, the group said all of the plastic scraps were found to contain cadmium ranging from 143 ppm to 415 ppm.
“Under the [EC] Regulation No. 494/2011, manufacturers are prohibited from placing mixtures and articles produced from plastic material with cadmium ‘equal to or greater than 0.01 percent by weight,’ or 100 ppm,” Ecowaste pointed out.
The regulation and its annexes are the accepted international standard for the restriction of toxic chemicals.
The group said it also submitted to a private laboratory the campaign tarpaulins of 12 senatorial candidates for confirmatory cadmium analyses, and will release the test results to the public “in due course.”
Citing a report published by the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep), EcoWaste noted that “cadmium is a nonessential and toxic element for humans, mainly affecting kidneys and the skeleton.”
The Unep also noted that the substance is a “carcinogen by inhalation” and may accumulate in one’s bones, which could “serve as a source of exposure later in life.”
EcoWaste also expressed concern over the effect of these tarpaulins on the environment, saying that these “would surely end up in disposal sites and the natural environment.”
Persistent element
“Cadmium is toxic to plants, animals and microorganisms. Being an element, cadmium is persistent—it cannot be broken down into less toxic substances in the environment,” said the Unep.
It also pointed out that cadmium “bioaccumulates mainly in the kidneys and liver of vertebrates and in aquatic invertebrates and algae.”
“The open burning in some developing countries of waste products containing cadmium could be an important source of local and regional cadmium releases to land and aquatic systems,” the Unep noted.
Given the widespread use of PVC plastics, EcoWaste urged the government to control the presence of cadmium in plastic materials in order to minimize pollution and adverse health effects.
“As there is no policy yet restricting or banning cadmium in plastics, all we can do is to appeal to all well-meaning candidates from the entire political spectrum to moderate their use of tarpaulins, abide by the [Commission on Elections] campaign rules and ensure the judicious use of resources as they woo the electorate to vote for them,” the group said.
