Toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition urged on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the manufacturers, distributors and retailers of children's toys to ensure their compliance with Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) standard on lead being used in toys as the season of gift-giving nears.
The group also called on e-commerce sites to check if the items being sold on their platforms have a valid Certificate of Product Notification (CPN), as well as Certificate of Conformity (CoC) with regard to the country's national lead paint standard.
It made the call after finding out that some toys being sold in the market, including a "garden tools set" for kids, contain excessive amounts of lead.
Exposure to lead may cause damage to the brain and the central nervous system as well as slowed growth and development, learning difficulties, hearing and speech problems, and behavioral issues, EcoWaste said.
“Compliance to the Notification Scheme for TCCAs (toy and childcare articles (TCCAs) will help promote the implementation of the country’s lead paint regulation, which among other things bans the use of such paints for toys and other children’s products to prevent children’s exposure to lead,” Thony Dizon, the group's chemical safety campaigner, said.
“Products, especially those marketed for children’s use, must also comply with the labeling requirements,” he added.