THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Saturday warned the public against the careless purchase of silver cleaners as this may result to experiencing acute poisoning or even death.
According to FDA Advisory No. 2016-088, the public should be careful in purchasing silver cleaners as they are considered as hazardous substances.
“When buying silver cleaners, the consumers must be mindful of several details in the product label,” said the FDA advisory.
The health agency advised consumers to avoid buying those without instructions in English and/or in Philippine dialects.
The FDA said the public must also be mindful of the contents of the product labels as they must have the name and place of business of the manufacturers, packer, distributor, or seller as well as common or usual name of the chemical name.
The warning comes after the FDA found three silver cleaners positive of the toxic chemical Cyanide.
The FDA said they found Unisilver’s Silver Dip, Silver Sparkle Flat Silver Dip, and Cleanse Silver (Copper) Cleaner as being positive of the presence of cyanide after samples of the product were tested.
“The FDA, therefore, warns the general public against using, buying and storing silver cleaning products found positive for Cyanide,” said the FDA.
The said products, it pointed, are deemed to pose imminent hazards and danger to both human and animal health.
“Cyanide is classified as poisonous, which can be rapidly absorbed by the body through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption,” said the FDA.
Cyanide, it furthered, blocks utilization of oxygen in all organs and is known to cause serious injury to human health that may lead to acute poisoning or death. (HDT/Sunnex)