Clad in international costumes, children from the ROTC Hunters Neighborhood Association (ROTCHNA) Daycare Center in Brgy. Tatalon, Quezon City, gathered to celebrate United Nations Day and called for protection from toxic lead exposure. The call was made as part of the closing activities for the 12th International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW). They were joined by the environmental justice group Ban Toxics, parents, and other community members of Brgy. Tatalon,

In line with this year’s ILPPW theme, “Bright Futures Begin Lead-Free,” participants of the community-led event held placards calling for the strict implementation of the ban on lead-containing products, especially toys and other children’s items. According to Ban Toxics, lead-tainted toys and other consumer items are still being sold in bargain stores, sidewalks, and commercial hubs across Metro Manila.

Recent market monitoring and chemical testing conducted by the group from Sept. to Oct. 2024 reveal that 41 out of 50 randomly sampled toys contain lead. Its levels range from 16 parts per million (ppm) to as high as 4,600 ppm. At a toy clinic event held on Oct. 22 at Payatas B Elementary School in Quezon City, Ban Toxics also detected lead content ranging from 16 ppm to as high as 5,000 ppm in toys brought by student participants.

Ban Toxics campaign and advocacy officer Thony Dizon states that the lead-tainted toys they tested were not properly labeled. This means their sale is not duly authorized by government regulatory agencies. Republic Act (RA) 10620, known as the Toy and Game Safety Labeling Act of 2013, requires all toys and children's items to be properly labeled.

According to the World Health Organization, only 48 percent of countries have confirmed they have legally binding controls on the production, import, sale, and use of lead paints as of Jan. 16, 2024. Dizon adds that these lead-tainted toys are likely imported from countries where the use of lead in paint persists, underscoring the need for global action to regulate the use of lead in paint. 

In the Philippines, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order (DAO) 2013-24 prohibits the use of lead and lead compounds in food packaging, fuel additives, water pipes, toys, school supplies, cosmetics, and paints.

“Despite the country’s chemical control order for lead and lead compounds, enforcement still falls short, particularly regarding the entry and sale of illegal lead-tainted products,” states Dizon. “We urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to take action against these lead-tainted toys that are being widely sold in the market.”

Students, parents, and teachers of ROTCHNA Daycare Center gathered in front of the school for a short program to learn more about lead poisoning and its prevention in children’s products and school facilities. They also reached out to other community members to help them understand the sources and causes of lead poisoning and how to avoid it to end childhood lead exposure at home and in school.

ROTCHNA Daycare Center is one of the pioneer schools promoting lead-safe paints, contributing to the Quezon City Local Government issuing Ordinance SP-2739, S-2018, which requires the use of lead-safe paints in the construction, maintenance, and renovation of city projects and activities.

“We urge other schools and communities to follow ROTCHNA Daycare Center's example in taking proactive steps to protect children from lead exposure, and ensure a safer and healthier future for all,” Dizon concludes.

The ILPPW 2024 global call to action involved raising awareness of the health impacts of lead exposure, banning non-essential uses of lead—especially in paints—and ensuring the safe recycling of lead-containing waste, among other goals.