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  • 2002.11.15

Parents beware: excessive toxic lead uncovered in test on enamel paints

Paints that get peeled off from the walls, furniture and toys are not just an unattractive eyesore.

Some of them can in fact be potentially hazardous when within the reach of small children who habitually put into mouth anything they can pick up.

In a recent test on 76 samples of emulsion (36) and enamel (40) paints, the Consumer Council has revealed excessive levels of the toxic heavy metal lead in 23 enamel paint samples.

In the case of the worst sample, it was found to contain 33.5% lead by weight of the dried paint film, an alarming 557 times more than the 0.06% limit set by the US Consumer Product Safety Act Regulations Part 1303.

Young children are particularly vulnerable to the exposure of lead which can accumulate in the body, and cause damage to the developing brain and also to the nervous system, red blood cells, kidneys and potential increase in high blood pressure.

In the event a 3-year-old child of a body weight of 13.5 kg should chance upon a piece of this paint, he or she needs only to "eat or chew" a tiny bit (of an area of 0.11 cm2 or about one-tenth the size of a 10 cent coin and of a thickness of 60 μm or about two films). And that is enough to reach the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) of lead for the child.

Parents should ensure that small children do not come into contact with peeled off paints to avoid excessive intake of lead. Though there is no need for immediate concern, it should be emphasised that long-term exposure to lead in excessive quantity will pose a serious health threat.

According to the test, the average lead concentration of the 23 enamel paint samples in question was measured to contain: 13.88% (orange), 12.92% (yellow), 3.73% (green), 1.67% (brown) and 0.33% (white) respectively for thesecolours.

Lead was not detected in the remainders of the enamel samples and all of the emulsion samples.

Under the US Consumer Product Safety Act Regulations, lead-containing paints in excess of 0.06% of the toxic metal must not be used on products intended for children, and would be banned as hazardous products provided they bear the following specific warnings on their labels:

  • Warning: contains lead. Dried film of this paint may be harmful if eaten or chewed.
  • Do not apply on toys and other children's articles, furniture, or interior surfaces of any dwelling or facility which may be occupied or used by children.
  • Do not apply on exterior surfaces of dwelling units, such as window sills, porches, stairs or railings to which children may be commonly exposed.
  • Keep out of reach of children.

But none of the 23 samples with excessive lead in the test bore such warnings.

The Consumer Council has forwarded the findings to the Customs and Excise Department for possible further action under the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance.

In the test, it was detected that many (14 out of 16) of the emulsion and enamel paints (white samples only) contained one to four of the chemical compounds, namely, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and naphthalene, which, according to US Green Seal GS-11, should not be used as ingredients in the manufacture of paints.

The concentrations of benzene and toluene were found to be well below the limits of the Chinese Standard GB 18581-2001; there are no specified limits applicable to ethyl benzene and naphthalene.

The samples were also tested for the presence of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). While many of the samples (13 out of 16 white emulsion and enamel paints) were found to contain VOCs in excess of the limits of US Green Seal GS-11, they were nevertheless within the limits of the Chinese Standards GB 18581-2001, and GB 18582-2001.

VOCs could have adverse effects on the environment and health. For instance, they could react, under the sun, with nitrogen oxides in the air producing ozone in the process. Ozone could lead to photochemical smog which is a growing environmental problem.

Manufacturers are urged to minimise the content of VOCs in paints, and consumers are advised to choose paints with less VOCs in the interest of the environment.

Consumers are urged to consult this (November) issue of CHOICE for more details of the test.

Joint test reveals room for improvement in safety of storage electric water heaters

With winter fast approaching, the Consumer Council and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department have joined hands to test the safety and performance of domestic electric water heaters.

The joint test focused on 10 models of open-type storage electric water heaters (of specified storage capacity and wattage of 15-18 liters and 3,000-3,200 watts respectively).

The results are less than completely reassuring as the majority of the heaters had yet to fully comply with the safety standard of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC60335-2-21).

The test results indicate that while overall the electric water heaters complied with the major safety requirements, there is room for improvement in their safety.

Highlights of the test showed that, first and foremost, as the appliance is used in very moist environment, provision of proper earthing connection is crucial to protect users against electric shock. All samples were found to have satisfactory overall effectiveness ofearthing.

However, with the exception of one heater, the earthing connection of other samples could be improved. In particular, some earthing terminals were without locking washers or the metal casing had paint which should have been removed before the earthing terminal was connected.

Second, the samples were tested to see how well they could perform in the rare event of abnormal operation conditions under which the test simulated empty or partially filled water tank together with failed thermostat resulting in the building up of temperature.

Only three samples fully passed the test in that their electric supply was automatically cut off to prevent overheating and damage to insulation. It should however be emphasized that all electric water heaters must be effectively earthed, and thereby the users should be protected against accidental failure in electrical insulation.

As regards the performance tests, the test results showed that most samples scored well in terms of energy efficiency - the higher the efficiency the less the heat loss of the heater in stand-by condition.

According to the Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme of the EMSD, 6 of the samples if submitted to the scheme could be awarded Grade 1 (the highest score). Only 1 of the samples was tested to be Grade 5.

To save energy, users are advised to turn off the heater every time after use. And if only a little hot water is needed, set the thermostat at a lower temperature to shorten the heating time.

The models varied in their delivery of hot water (at 50°C and 5 litres per minute) ranging from 4 to 6.4 minutes. To have a longer shower, users can slow down the flow particularly when the weather is cool.

Last but not the least, the safety of an electric water heater starts with the installation of the appliance. Faulty installation is highly hazardous. Engage only a Registered Electrical Contractor and a Licensed Plumber to make sure the heater is properly installed and earthed.

Further, any of the following modifications could result in building up excessive pressure in the storage tank, thus posing severe hazards of accidental explosion:

  • Never connect the outlet to a stop valve or to a tap at wash basin or bath tub.
  • Never replace the original shower head with a massage type shower head.
  • Never use a water mixer other than the original type.

Consumer advice on "no win, no charge" accident compensation assistance services

Consumers are reminded of the potential problems arising from agents offering accident compensation assistance services.

The Consumer Council is aware that a number of these agents have advertised their service, on a pledge of "no win, no charge", to help clients handle their claims for accident compensation.

This means that if the claim is unsuccessful the claimant needs not pay anything; if the claim is successful, then the agent will take 20% to 30% of the compensation received as its service charge.

The Council is of the view that if these services are widely accepted in the community then the firms offering them, as intermediaries, would be meeting a demand for professional and legal services which are otherwise beyond the reach of some consumers.

The Council is, however, concerned that the public should be equipped with necessary knowledge about potential problems in utilizing such services which may require them to enter into contracts with their agents:

  • Whether these agents have the professional qualification, experience or standards in respect of the assistance they offer.
  • Whether the fees charged on the basis of a proportion of the compensation recovered is reasonable or not (as clients may pay much more than the value of the services rendered).
  • Whether "no win, no charge" is conditional or not (if the claim is unsuccessful, will claimant need to pay any legal costs incurred by the defendant side).
  • Clients may be encouraged to accept a lower amount than they would be entitled to, in order to avoid the risk of losing in litigation and recovering no fees.

Further, before entering into any service contract, consumers should shop around for competing service providers and compare prices and terms and conditions.

Keep any promotional material that is provided to you for possible future reference, and regard any testimonials that are offered in support of the service withscepticism.

Lastly, insist on obtaining a copy of the contract, which you should sign only if you fully understand all the terms and conditions, especially the small print.

Survey on textbook revision dispels allegation of undesirable practice

The undesirable practice of allegedly revising textbooks, without any significant changes in the contents, as a pretext for price increases may seemingly cease to exist.

This was borne out in an annual survey of the Consumer Council which covered the revised editions of 12 secondary school textbooks and compared them against their old editions.

According to the survey, all 12 textbooks were found to contain changes, to a certain extent, which contribute to the overall betterment of the publications:

  • updating information and statistics (e.g. MPF, education system, e-commerce, number of population);
  • adding new sections (e.g. wrong pronunciation, summary, case studies);
  • providing more detailed contents;
  • rearranging the contents (e.g. using table formats, adding sub-headings, simplifying the text) for easy memorization.

In the majority of cases (9 out of 12), the revised editions were increased in terms of the number of pages.

Notwithstanding these improvements, their prices remained unchanged as last year in the case of 10 revised textbooks. One, in fact, reduced in price by 4.3%.

The only revised edition which went up in price by 23.9%, was actually subdivided into 2 volumes (i.e. from Volume 1 to Volume 1A/1B) boosting the number of total pages by 73.6%.

The publication years of the samples in the survey ranged from 1997 to 2000. As the one revised sample published in 2000 was an EPA textbook, it does not violate the rule of the Education Department which forbids revision within 3 years of publication with the exception of Social Studies, EPA or GPA textbooks.

Questionable practices by hair salons on the rise

Consumer complaints against hair salons are steadily on the rise - from 93 cases in 2000 to 114 in the first nine months of this year.

A breakdown of the complaints received by the Consumer Council so far this year indicated that of the 114 cases, 30 were related to sales tactics and prices, and 78 about quality of services.

Due to the sluggish market, some hair salons have adopted questionable practices advertising prominently price cuts and highly competitive packages, including the sales of pre-payment coupons.

The tactics are to lure consumers into the shop but, all too soon, the customers will realise that there is in fact a host of hidden surcharges and pricing differentials for the service. The attention of consumers is drawn to the following:

  • Watch out for the inconspicuous notices for surcharges. Besides the usually prominent window display of the price list, consumers should pay heed also to small notices which may appear inside the shop and near the cashier, for surcharges such as extra fees for designating your own hair dresser, use of conditioner or any other extra service charges.
  • Before accepting the service, clearly ascertain the full amount of the price, for instance whether the length of your hair (as reported by complainants) could affect the final charges, whether shampoo and blow-dry is included as part of the dyeing and oil treatment service, etc.
  • Be wary of the risks of buying too many pre-payment coupons as in the event of the closure of the shop, the chances of obtaining unfund are very remote. Consumers should also find out whether there are any restrictions imposed on the periods or time of use, and whether there will be additional charges when paying by coupons.
  • If you are dissatisfied with the service, ask for a receipt with service description in order to pursue complaint.

Everything you need to know about choosing a digital camcorder

Contemplating buying a digital camcorder?

Help is on way in this current issue of CHOICE which reports on the test results of 25 digital camcorders of 7 brands priced from $4,390 to $12,990.

The test compared comprehensively the models for their performance on picture and sound quality, convenience of use, autofocus accuracy, image stability and versatility.

Digital types of camcorder now dominate the market as the traditional analog types are being phased out. Advantages of digital format include: tiny tape cassette, smaller camcorder size, further improved picture quality with horizontal resolution up to 500 lines.

With digital technology, video images are digitized enabling users to dub or edit videos with no degradation of picture or sound. Most digital camcorders even provide facilities for connection to a computer for digital data transfer.

Chairing the press conference today (November 15) on the publication of CHOICE issue number 313 is Mr. Larry KWOK Lam-kwong, Chairman of Publicity and Community Relations Committee of the Consumer Council.