THE Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), one of the 13 established poison centers in the country, is urging the public to limit the use of plastics as these may cause cancer.
According to Dr. Rutchell Simene, a toxicologist of the NMMC, plastics such as bottled water contains phthalates, other PCPs, and bisphenol A.
"If we get exposed to a higher dose, it can cause cancer because the plastics are now labeled as endocrine disruptors and are already linked to diabetes mellitus, vascular diseases, thyroid problems, cardiovascular problems, and cancer," Simene said.
The agriculture community was also urged to not use the organochlorines as pesticides.
Simene said that while lead poisoning is now controlled, there are still some food products that may contain heavy metals, such as mercury, arsenic, and cadmium.
The current generation is also high-tech, which involves several metals, electronics and some plastics, he added.