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LGUs Exhorted to Go After Stores Selling Cyanide-Containing Silver Jewelry Cleaners

 FDA-banned cyanide-containing silver cleaning products.

Banned Silver Sparkle Flat Silver Dip. 

 Store attendant prepares receipt for banned Unisilver Silver Dip.

 Unisilver Silver Dip comes free for every P500 worth of purchase in single receipt.

Totally unlabelled silver jewelry cleaner.

Partially labelled silver jewelry cleaner.
The EcoWaste Coalition, a toxics watch group,
urged  mayors and local health and police
chiefs to crack down on vendors of silver jewelry cleaners containing the
deadly cyanide compound.
The group’s plea for action came on the heels of a recent
public health warning from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) against
three brands of cyanide-laden silver cleaning products.
The FDA on August 16 warned the public against buying,
using and storing Silver Sparkle Flat Silver Dip, Unisilver Silver Dip and
Cleanse Silver (Copper) Cleaner “as these pose imminent hazards and danger to
both human and animal health” due their cyanide content.
“All local government units and law enforcement agencies
are requested to ensure that the above-mentioned brands are not sold or made
available in their localities or areas of jurisdiction,” the FDA Advisory
2016-088 said.
“We ask our local government, health and police officials
to heed FDA’s request and promptly launch joint law enforcement operations to
rid the marketplace of cyanide-laced silver cleaning solutions,” stated Thony
Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.
“Any delay in responding to the FDA’s request will mean
more consumers having access to this poison that had already fatally harmed
many people, including innocent children who mistook the clear liquid for
drinking water,” he added.
Yesterday, August 20, the 
EcoWaste Coalition went to the same silver jewelry shops in a shopping
mall in Quiapo, Manila where the FDA got the said silver cleaning products and
managed to buy  Silver Sparkle Flat
Silver Dip for P55 and Unisilver Silver Dip for P69.  The latter is even offered free of charge for
every P500 worth of purchase in single receipt.
In addition, the group also bought a totally unlabelled
silver cleaner for P60 from a beads and accessories store in Villalobos
St.   It also obtained a partially
labeled silver cleaner for P80 from a silver jewelry store in Carriedo St.
“We request Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada to go after the
stores selling these highly toxic products and revoke their business permit
outright to show that he means business when it comes to protecting the public
health and safety from cyanide poisoning,” Dizon said. 
According to the FDA, “cyanide is classified as poisonous
which can be rapidly absorbed by the body through inhalation, ingestion and
dermal absorption.”
“It blocks utilization of oxygen in all organs and (is)
liable to cause serious injury to human health that may lead to acute poisoning
or death,” explained the FDA.
Responding to the rising number of cyanide poisoning cases due to the
accidental as well as deliberate intake of silver cleaning products, the
government issued Joint DOH-DENR Advisory 2010-0001 banning the sale of silver
jewelry cleaners containing cyanide and other toxic substances.

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