Public warned of toxic barbecue brushes

TOXIC lead may find its way into your food.

EcoWaste Coalition is warning the public on the use or lead-coated paint brushes used in food preparation.

Thony Dizon, chemical safety campaigner of EcoWaste Coalition, warned against the use of paint brushes as baster or brush to rub the sauce that may be contaminating your favorite barbecue meat with lead, a hazardous chemical.

“The use of paint brushes, which are non-food grade utensils, may pose a lead contamination risk, especially when the lead painted handle has started to crumble due to repeated use. The chalking, chipping or peeling lead paint on the handle of these brushes may get onto the sauce, butter, glaze or oil that is applied on food and into someone’s mouth.”

According to the EcoWaste Coalition, the presence of lead on the painted handles of the analyzed paint brushes points to an obvious breach of the country’s landmark regulation banning lead in paints.

EcoWaste Coalition studies said highly leaded paint brush samples also contained arsenic, chrome and mercury above levels of concern.

The samples representing 58 brands and costing P10 to P164.75 each were screened for toxic metals, particularly lead, using a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analytical device.

The XRF screening showed 52 of the 75 paint brushes (69 percent) with mostly yellow painted handles had high lead content exceeding the regulatory limit of 90 parts per million (ppm) as per Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order (A.O.) 2013-24, or the Chemical Control Order for Lead and Lead Compounds.

Of the 52 lead-coated paint brushes, 41 had lead above 1,000 ppm, 23 had lead above 5,000 ppm and eight had lead above 10,000 ppm.

The EcoWaste Coalition, a public interest group working for a zero waste and toxics-free society launched the “Get the Lead Out of Paint Brushes” last week revealing the presence of dangerously high levels of lead in non-food grade brushes used for food preparations.

Months ago, the group sounded the alarm in the city, exposing three stores in the central business district found to sell cosmetic products with lead, mercury, Chromium and Arsenic content levels above the normal.

The stores are now under investigation.