Quezon Memorial Circle park equipment now lead-free

Monday 28th of May 2012

QUEZON CITY, May 28 (PIA) -- Lead contents of most of the fitness and play equipment installed inside the 25-hectare Quezon Memorial Circle in Diliman, has been declared safe by environmentalists, the local government said Monday in a press release.

This developed following the remediation efforts undertaken by the Quezon City government in ensuring the safety of all park equipment against toxic exposure.

Toxic watchdog EcoWaste Coalition recently inspected and re-tested some of the exercise equipment that were earlier re-painted with lead-free paint by city park personnel.

It was found out that most of the equipment had now become lead-free while the lead content of the other exercise apparatus have been gradually reduced within the prescribed limit.

Parks development and administration department head Engr. Zaldy dela Rosa joined EcoWaste Coalition head Manny Calonzo during the inspection.

The QC government, on orders of Mayor Herbert Bautista, undertook the remedial measures to ensure the safety of fitness and playground equipment installed inside the QMC.

Park personnel initiated lead hazard control measures by scraping the old paint of some of the park’s exercise equipment and then repainted them with certified lead-free paint.

“We have to make sure that all city-operated parks, especially the QMC, should be maintained as lead-free zones,” Bautista said.

QMC administrator Tadeo Palma and Engr. dela Rosa have been designated by the Mayor to oversee the urgent implementation of remedial measures in maintaining lead-free fitness and playground equipment within the QMC.

Meanwhile, Secretary Palma lauded the EcoWaste Coalition for its recommendations to lessen the lead content of playground and exercise equipment at the QMC, particularly in improving ways of scraping the lead-content of some of the structures, and in the proper disposal of paint flakes and chips.

Earlier, EcoWaste Coalition had detected lead in 19 of the 25 exercise and play equipment at QMC in the range of 151 parts per million (ppm) to over 100,000 ppm, which is way above the US regulatory limit of 90 ppm for lead in paint. (QC-PAISO/RJB/JRCA/PIA-NCR)