FDA issues warning on toxic pesticides made in China

MANILA, Philippines — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday warned the public against buying nine “imminently dangerous” household insecticides, eight of them made in China.

In an advisory, the FDA said it was taking measures to get these harmful insecticides off market shelves since these are not registered and are harmful to both animals and humans.

“All consumers are warned from buying these products that did not pass the safety and efficacy assessment of the FDA. These products are harmful, toxic and imminently dangerous to human and animal health,” the agency said.

“The FDA is calling on the Bureau of Customs to remain vigilant in preventing the entry of toxic substances in the country. The FDA is also requesting local government units to ensure that these unregistered toxic insecticide products are confiscated, away from the reach of the consumers,” it added.

The harmful insecticides were identified as Tianshi Insect Killer, Big Bie Pai Extra Power Flying Insect Killer, Butiki Watebased Multi-Insect Killer, and General Toad Aerosol Insecticide, Wawang Frogking Insecticide, Sun Universe Frogking Insecticide, Read a Dream Insecticide Spray, Baolilai Aerosol Insecticide, and Big Bie Pai Aerosol Insecticide.

“Insecticides used at home are classified as household hazardous substances and the FDA makes sure that highly toxic substances should not be used in homes with pets or children,” the agency said.

The FDA also advised consumers against six unregistered mosquito coils–Wawang Mosquito Coil, BaoMa Black Mosquito Repellent Incense Coil, Juzhongwang Black Mosquito Repellent Coil, Kingba Mini-Smoke Mosquito Repeller Coil, Tianshi Black Mosquito Repellent Incense Coil, and Read A Dream Black Mosquito Repellant Incense Coil).

It also warned against buying the unregistered Green Leaf Powder Cockroach Killing Bait Powder and Natural Insect Repellent Solution.

“Buying unregistered insecticide product is dangerous to health since the active ingredient is unknown and may cause harm to consumers. There are insecticides that are banned in the Philippines, and these toxic products are being smuggled and dumped in the country,” the FDA said.

The agency said it approves only insecticides that are “low in mammalian toxicity but knock the insects down upon contact.”

“There are insecticides which should be properly labeled. Some insecticides need to carry health warning for asthmatics. There are insecticides that can cause skin rashes,” the FDA said.

“There are situations when active ingredients interfere with the metabolism of prescribed medications people are taking for a serious illness, thereby causing complications,” it added.

The FDA said consumers could its website (www.fda.gov.ph) and type the name of the product in the SEARCH bar found in the upper right hand corner to check if it is registered.

To report unregistered products or any problem with the use of registered products, the public can email the agency via [email protected].