'Dangerous levels of lead' found in some Pope Francis souvenir items

An ecological group on Wednesday warned against some souvenir items for Pope Francis' visit containing "dangerous levels of lead."

 

The EcoWaste Coalition said it discovered this after testing some items with a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence device.

 

While most papal souvenirs are non-toxic, campaigner Anthony Dizon said some items with pewter or pewter-like pendants of Pope Francis and the Papal Cross were not safe.

 

"Some are of a size that could be mouthed by children as if it was a toy,” he said. 

 

According to the group, samples of papal souvenirs with pewter or pewter-like pendants were sold for as low as P10 to P150 each. They included a wrist rosary with a cross pendant that had 42 percent lead, a wooden bracelet with an oval Pope Francis pendant measuring 2.5 cm. with 35 percent lead and a necklace with a Papal Cross pendant measuring 4 cm. with 36 percent lead.

 

Souvenir products found to have low or non-detectable levels of toxic metals include button pins, wooden wrist rosaries with no metallic pendants, “estampitas,”  calendars and t-shirts; and bag tags, ID laces, refrigerator magnets and ballpens.

 

The group noted that exposure to lead has been linked to health issues such as learning disabilities, anemia, joint and muscle weaknesses, behavioral problems, organ failure and even death.

 

"Jewelry containing lead poses a particular concern because children are prone to placing jewelry in their mouths, which can result in absorption of dangerous levels of lead. Small pieces of leaded jewelry can even be swallowed which can be fatal because of its lead content," said Scott Clark, professor emeritus of environmental health at the University of Cincinnati.

 

The group urged those who have already bought the lead-laden items to keep them out of children's reach.

 

It also requested distributors to withdraw the items from the market and for the government to provide locations where the items can be returned for safe disposal. — Joel Locsin/JST, GMA News