Quezon City. The Quezon City Government has positively responded to the comments and recommendations from the EcoWaste Coalition, which were endorsed by 17 other environmental and human rights organizations, regarding the school supplies, reusable water steel tumblers in particular, provided by the city to young learners in public schools.
In response to the group’s letter of July 25, the Education Affairs Unit under the Office of the Mayor expressed its appreciation to the constructive feedback submitted and assured the group that the matter will be relayed to concerned city offices and to the Schools Division Office of QC for review and appropriate action.
“Your suggestions on strengthening procurement processes, such as requiring supplier certifications and compliance with safety standards, will also be taken into account as part of our continuous improvement in providing safe and sustainable learning support to our students,” the QC Government said. “We value the EcoWaste Coalition’s commitment to advancing both environmental sustainability and the safety of consumer products, especially those intended for children.”
To recall, the group wrote to QC Mayor Joy Belmonte commending the city authorities for providing 420,000 learning kits to students in public elementary and high schools under its area of jurisdiction for the school year 2025-2026. Among the back-to-school essentials given free to the students were reusable stainless steel tumblers.
The provision of reusable water tumblers to the students is commendable as it will prevent and reduce the consumption of water in single-use plastic bottles, and therefore cut the generation of plastic waste in QC’s over 150 public schools, comprising of elementary, junior high, senior high, and integrated high schools, the group said.
Specifically, the EcoWaste Coalition lauded the city authorities for giving the students water tumblers coated with lead-safe red paint. Based on the chemical screening conducted by the group using a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, lead was not detected on the red paint that has been applied on the exterior of the tumbler to provide a protective layer against corrosion and scratches.
Unlike the many painted stainless steel tumblers analyzed by the EcoWaste Coalition, the QC-provided tumblers do not pose lead-based paint risks to the young users. In the sampling it conducted in June in time for the opening of classes, 11 tumblers were found to contain 1,087 to 61,850 parts per million (ppm) of lead. A follow-up sampling in August found 16 tumblers coated with leaded paints ranging from 11,270 to 93,700 ppm, way above the maximum limit of 90 ppm as per DENR A.O. 2013-24 or the Chemical Control Order (CCO) prohibiting the use of lead in paint manufacturing, as well as in the production of school supplies and toys.
On the other hand, the sealing dot at the bottom of the bottle was found laden with over 10% or over 100,000 ppm of lead, indicating lead-based solder was used. As observed by the group, the lead solder dot is covered with a round silver sticker instead of a more durable stainless steel layer. If the tumbler gets damaged or if a child plays with the sticker and removes it, the lead solder will be exposed and become accessible to the child. In the US, children’s products must not contain over 100 ppm of lead in accessible parts as per the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
The EcoWaste Coalition urged the QC Government to continue providing public school students with lead-safe reusable water tumblers to encourage them to get hydrated, as well as to prevent and reduce the consumption of water in single-use plastic bottles.
For future procurement, the group requested the authorities to 1) look for tumblers without a lead-based solder sealing dot, and to 2) ask from suppliers certificates of analysis and compliance to relevant safety standards, including chemical testing to ensure tumblers are safe to use and free from any hazardous substances such as lead and other heavy metals, bisphenols, phthalates and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
As for the tumblers that are already in the possession of the children, the QC Government was requested to consider replacing them with tumblers without a lead solder dot. In the meantime, the group suggested to the authorities to advise parents and students on the proper use of the stainless steel water tumblers to avoid damage and to keep the lead solder dot inaccessible to the children.
