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Poisonous shoes
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Dear Editor,
On March 15, I bought two pairs of shoes for my son at a well-known discount store with outlets around the island. They were both very cheap - $600 for school shoes and $400 for imitation leather sandals. They were made in China.
On the way home from Mandeville to Runaway Bay, I kept smelling a pungent odour - kind of like tyres burning - and at first attributed this to the burning of garbage and a few cleared hillsides we had passed. But the smell did not go away, and eventually we realised it was coming from the new shoes. Up close, they had an overpowering chemical odour that actually made my eyes sting. By the time we got to Runaway Bay, I had a dull headache, despite the windows being wide open.
With the recent news about toxic toys from China fresh in my mind, I looked up "chemicals in shoes" on the Internet, and what I found was alarming:
Shoes made in China typically contain an array of harmful chemicals known as "aromatic hydrocarbons" - including benzene, toluene, methylene, naphthalene, and biphenyl. Some also contain toxic nickel and chromium compounds.
These chemicals are all on a list of dangerous substances banned for use in footwear and many other products by European Union standards, under Directive 2002/61/EC. Because of the presence of toxic chemicals in many Chinese-made shoes, there are stringent controls on the importation of shoes from China to the EU.
Benzene is an industrial solvent used in the production of drugs, plastics, synthetic rubber, and the "azo dyes" found in many Asian-made shoes. It is a known carcinogen that primarily affects the central nervous system, blood cells and bone marrow. Chronic exposure to benzene compounds has been linked to increased risk of leukaemia. Toluene can cause eye, skin and respiratory irritation; extended exposure can damage the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system.
It goes without saying that babies and growing children are at greater risk from the toxic effects of these chemicals, some of which are "mutagenic" agents, meaning they affect the genetic composition and development of cells.
Jamaican schoolchildren, most of whom are probably wearing the ubiquitous "Made in China" shoes, deserve protection from these hazardous substances!
I am using this medium to ask the relevant government agencies these questions:
* Is the Ministry of Health and Environment aware of the potential health hazards from the absorption or inhalation of toxic chemicals found in shoes imported from China?
* Has Jamaica's Bureau of Standards investigated the issue of toxic chemicals found in imported shoes?
* Does Jamaica have any trade restrictions to protect consumers from imported shoes containing hazardous chemicals?
Wendy A Lee
Runaway Bay
St Ann
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Dear Editor,
On March 15, I bought two pairs of shoes for my son at a well-known discount store with outlets around the island. They were both very cheap - $600 for school shoes and $400 for imitation leather sandals. They were made in China.
On the way home from Mandeville to Runaway Bay, I kept smelling a pungent odour - kind of like tyres burning - and at first attributed this to the burning of garbage and a few cleared hillsides we had passed. But the smell did not go away, and eventually we realised it was coming from the new shoes. Up close, they had an overpowering chemical odour that actually made my eyes sting. By the time we got to Runaway Bay, I had a dull headache, despite the windows being wide open.
With the recent news about toxic toys from China fresh in my mind, I looked up "chemicals in shoes" on the Internet, and what I found was alarming:
Shoes made in China typically contain an array of harmful chemicals known as "aromatic hydrocarbons" - including benzene, toluene, methylene, naphthalene, and biphenyl. Some also contain toxic nickel and chromium compounds.
These chemicals are all on a list of dangerous substances banned for use in footwear and many other products by European Union standards, under Directive 2002/61/EC. Because of the presence of toxic chemicals in many Chinese-made shoes, there are stringent controls on the importation of shoes from China to the EU.
Benzene is an industrial solvent used in the production of drugs, plastics, synthetic rubber, and the "azo dyes" found in many Asian-made shoes. It is a known carcinogen that primarily affects the central nervous system, blood cells and bone marrow. Chronic exposure to benzene compounds has been linked to increased risk of leukaemia. Toluene can cause eye, skin and respiratory irritation; extended exposure can damage the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system.
It goes without saying that babies and growing children are at greater risk from the toxic effects of these chemicals, some of which are "mutagenic" agents, meaning they affect the genetic composition and development of cells.
Jamaican schoolchildren, most of whom are probably wearing the ubiquitous "Made in China" shoes, deserve protection from these hazardous substances!
I am using this medium to ask the relevant government agencies these questions:
* Is the Ministry of Health and Environment aware of the potential health hazards from the absorption or inhalation of toxic chemicals found in shoes imported from China?
* Has Jamaica's Bureau of Standards investigated the issue of toxic chemicals found in imported shoes?
* Does Jamaica have any trade restrictions to protect consumers from imported shoes containing hazardous chemicals?
Wendy A Lee
Runaway Bay
St Ann
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