As stores started to showcase various Halloween products in the market, toxic watchdog group BAN Toxics cautioned the public when buying such products that may contain harmful chemicals that are horrible to children’s health and safety.
The group managed to photo-document some stores decorating and selling Halloween products which include scary masks, face paint and make-up, horror blood, and fangs, jack-o-lantern baskets, scary battery-operated toys, creepy imitation weapons, skull and bones, and other Halloween items for early spooky shopping. The group noticed that most of the products are improperly labeled which makes the products unauthorized to sell and use since it does not have the proper Certificate of Product Notification (CPN) from the Food and Drug Administration.
The 10-yr old RA 10620 or the Toy and Game Safety Labeling Act of 2013 was enacted to ensure the protection of children against potential hazards to their health and safety by requiring special labeling of toys and games. The labeling requirements for toys and games should include: 1) LTO number issued by FDA; 2) Age Grading; 3) Cautionary Statements/Warnings; 4) Instructional Literature; 5) Manufacturer’s Marking; and 6) Item, Model, SKU Number.
“Halloween products being sold in the market at this early time should have undergone registration with the FDA and should be in accordance with the labeling requirements under RA 10620,” said Thony Dizon, Toxics Campaigner of BAN Toxics.
“The concern over unregistered and unnotified products such as toys is the presence of toxic chemicals that may pose health-damaging risks to children,” Dizon added.
Aside from exposure to toxic chemicals such as Lead which has serious consequences on children’s health, the Halloween products have other potential hazards like choking, fire, and laceration that are not safe for children to play with.
Citing the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009 or Republic Act No. 9711, the manufacture, importation, exportation, sale, offering for sale, distribution, transfer, non-consumer use, promotion, advertising, or sponsorship of any health product without the proper authorization from the FDA is prohibited.
Potential hazards may come from ingredients that are not allowed to be part of a cosmetic product or from the contamination of heavy metals. The use of substandard and possibly adulterated cosmetic products may result in adverse reactions including, but not limited to, skin irritation, itchiness, anaphylactic shock, and organ failure.
“As part of our Safe Toys for Kids Campaign, we urge toy stores and manufacturers to comply with the existing health and safety regulations in the country, and discontinue the selling of unnotified and unregistered toy products to protect the children from potential hazards,” added BAN Toxics.
“Halloween toys are supposed to be scary and fun to children, don’t make it horrible for them,” the group expressed.
BAN Toxics encourages consumers to file a report to the FDA of any sale, distribution, complaint and/or adverse event on the use of the violative toy and childcare articles through the online reporting facility ereport@fda.gov.ph, or call the Center for Cosmetics and Household/Urban Hazardous Substances Regulation and Research (CCHUHSRR) hotline (02) 8857-1900 loc. 8113 or 8107.
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