Warning Out on Fluorescent Green and Yellow Spray Paints with High Lead Content

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

(EcoWaste Coalition flags another case of lead paint dumping)

4 February 2026, Quezon City. The EcoWaste Coalition has again discovered a highly leaded spray paint brand with no manufacturer information, which is unlawfully sold on e-commerce platforms Lazada and Shopee.

In a press statement, the group warned the public against buying and using Driveone Off Ultra Bright Fluorescent Night Light Spray Paint, which is being sold online for less than P100 per 620 mL aerosol can.

Using a portable Olympus Vanta M Series X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyser, the group detected and measured the lead content of the two Driveone Off paint samples purchased.

As per XRF screening, the fluorescent green paint contains 63,100 parts per million (ppm), while the fluorescent yellow paint contains 59,510 ppm. Both paints exceed the maximum 90 ppm lead limit in paint.

Despite the extremely high lead content, the product label does not provide any lead content information or lead paint hazard warning to inform and guide consumers. The label also does not offer any clues about the product manufacturer, importer or distributor.

DENR Administrative Order No. 2013-24 established a strict 90 ppm for lead in all paint types, including spray paints. The regulation, also known as the Chemical Control Order (CCO), phased out lead-containing paints during the 2013-2019 transition period.

Specifically, decorative paints containing lead were phased out from 2013 to 2016. Lead-containing industrial paints were phased out from 2013 to 2019.

The analyzed Driveone Off paints were both manufactured in 2025, or several years after the ban on lead-containing paints took effect in the Philippines, making their importation and distribution brazenly illegal.

Spray paints generally fall under the decorative type because they are marketed for consumer use. Driveone Off, for example, is recommended to be “used for motorcycles, car wheels, bicycles, metals, plastics, etc.”

“Paints containing lead pose risks both in their application phase (as new paint) and once applied, giving rise to legacy issues that extend beyond the life of the painted surface due to chipping and deterioration or demolition of the painted surface,” according to the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (Lead Paint Alliance), which is co-led by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Exposure to lead can result in serious health effects, including permanent damage to the brain and the nervous system, renal impairment, chronic hypertension, and reproductive disorders for both women and men. It can affect the brain development of a child, causing lower intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioural changes such as reduced attention span and increased antisocial behaviour, and reduced educational attainment,” according to the WHO.

“There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects,” the WHO has stated.

To uphold the country’s lead paint ban from lead paint dumping, the EcoWaste Coalition and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) are pushing for stronger measures to control the global trade of lead chromates, the most common lead-based pigments used in paint manufacturing, and finished products containing such pigments.

The DENR, Philippine Paint & Coatings Association, Inc. (PPCAI), IPEN, and the EcoWaste Coalition are partners of the Lead Paint Alliance.

UP Scientists Apply Green Method to Produce Silver Nanoparticles for Antibacterial Applications

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

Scientists from the University of the Philippines–Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) have advanced a greener approach to silver nanoparticle (AgNP) synthesis by using gamma irradiation in combination with the natural seaweed-derived biopolymer ι-carrageenan. While gamma-radiolytic routes for AgNP formation have been reported previously, the specific role of ι-carrageenan in stabilizing and influencing nanoparticle formation during radiolysis has remained largely underexplored.

Colloidal silver nanoparticles produced using gamma irradiation at different doses, showing a visible color change from colorless to yellow to brown as silver ions are converted into antibacterial silver nanoparticles. Darker colors indicate higher nanoparticle concentrations. (Photo credit: Gili et. al., 2025)

Instead of using harsh chemicals, researchers Mon Bryan Gili, Wendell Manuel, and Dr. Marienette Vega of the UPD-CS Materials Science and Engineering Program (MSEP); Dr. Marlon Conato of the UPD-CS Institute of Chemistry (IC); and Rakshith Gowda Shankaregowda and Dr. Manh-Huong Phan of the University of South Florida used gamma radiation and a natural seaweed-derived substance called carrageenan to create the nanoparticles.

“In simple terms, we let radiation do the “work” of forming the particles, while the seaweed extract keeps them stable and safe. We then tested how effective these particles are against common bacteria,” Gili explained. Compared to traditional chemical methods, the researchers’ approach is much greener. 

Chemical synthesis often requires strong reducing agents and stabilizers, which can be toxic and difficult to dispose of safely. In their method, gamma radiation completely replaces these chemicals. It also sterilizes the nanoparticles as they form, which is a major advantage for medical applications. “Overall, this means fewer processing steps, less chemical waste, and a safer product for both people and the environment,” Gili added.

As a researcher in nuclear science, Gili was excited to apply radiation technology in a way that directly benefits health and sustainability. Concern for environmental safety and the growing issue of antibiotic resistance motivated him and his team to explore alternative methods for producing silver nanoparticles. Many conventional approaches use toxic chemicals that can harm people and the environment. 

“The next steps include improving their long-term stability, testing them in real-world products, and evaluating their safety for human use.” Gili said. “Ultimately, we hope this technology can lead to affordable, locally produced antibacterial materials using Philippine natural resources and nuclear science expertise.”

Their paper, “Antibacterial evaluation of radiolytically synthesized silver nanoparticles with ι-carrageenan stabilizers,” was published in Radiation Physics and Chemistry, a journal featuring studies which focus on research and developments involving ionizing radiation in radiation physics, radiation chemistry, and radiation processing.

𝐊𝐖𝐅 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚 𝐊𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐬𝐲𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐖𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

Pinangunahan ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) ang pagpapalakas ng opisyal na komunikasyon sa Filipino—isang mahalagang hakbang sa pagpapatibay ng pamantayan at propesyonalismo sa mga institusyon—sa isinagawang Seminar sa Korespondensiya Opisyal noong 15 Enero 2026 sa University of the Assumption, San Fernando, Pampanga.

Sa naturang seminar, tinalakay ang Korespondensiya Opisyal (KO) at Ortograpiyang Pambansa (OP) bilang mahahalagang kasangkapan sa paglinang ng malinaw, episyente, at epektibong komunikasyon sa loob ng mga institusyong pang-edukasyon at pampubliko. Sa pamamagitan ng mga panayam at talakayan, ipinakita na ang wastong paggamit ng wika ay may direktang implikasyon sa kalidad ng serbisyo, kaalaman, at ugnayan sa loob ng mga tanggapan.

Ibinahagi Bb. Kirsteen D. Abustan ang panayam sa Korespondensiya Opisyal, na nakatuon sa tamang anyo at estruktura ng liham, memorandum, kapasiyahan, at iba pang korespondensiyang ginagamit sa mga institusyon. Samantala, pinangunahan ni Bb. Angelica Ellazar ang pagtalakay sa Ortograpiyang Pambansa na nagbigay-diin sa kahalagahan ng pagtalima sa tamang pagbaybay at pagsulat ng mga salita sa wastong pamantayan at gamit sa layuning mapanatili ang propesyonalismo sa mga opisyal na dokumento.

Dumalo at nagpakita ng suporta sina Komisyoner Carmelita C. Abduhraman at Komisyoner Reggie O. Cruz sa mandato ng KWF sa pagpapalaganap at pagpapaigting sa paggámit ng wikang Filipino sa akademya at serbisyo publiko.

Dumalo rin ang mga mag-aaral, guro, librarian, at iba pang kawani ng pamantasan, na naging aktibo sa pagbabahagi ng kaalaman at karanasan kaugnay ng mga paksang tinalakay. Ang kanilang partisipasyon ay nagpapatunay sa lumalaking interes at pangangailangan para sa pagsasanay sa wasto at epektibong paggamit ng Filipino sa opisyal na komunikasyon.

Ang Kautusang Tagapagpaganap Blg. 335, sa pangunguna ng KWF, ay humihimok sa mga ahensiya ng pamahalaan na gamítin ang Wikang Filipino bilang opisyal na wika ng komunikasyon at korespondensiya sa serbisyo publiko.