EcoWaste Coalition Finds Online Shopping Sites Rife with FDA-Warned Insecticide Sprays 

6 July 2024, Quezon City.  On the eve of the 7.7 online shopping sales, the toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition alerted consumers against the purchase and use of unregistered insecticide sprays, which may contain hazardous ingredients that can endanger public health.

For its latest product monitoring coinciding with the monthly online shopping sales, the group investigated the sale of unregistered insecticide sprays following the publication of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory No. 2024-1001 last Thursday, July 6, reminding consumers about the safe use of household/urban pesticide products or HUPs.

In the said advisory, the FDA, which also regulates a number of household/urban hazardous substances (HUHS), advised consumers to check if a product is registered with the FDA using the agency’s verification portal.  Registered HUHS products are reviewed by the FDA for compliance to safety, efficacy and quality standards before being offered for sale to the public, the agency said.

According to the monitoring conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition, the online marketplace is rife with hundreds of product listings for FDA-warned HUPs such as Angel, Bidia, Gecko, Guiwang Frogking, Heng De Buhawi, KJ and Wawang Frogking insecticide sprays, to name a few.

The FDA had issued several public health warnings against the purchase and use of these HUPs that are sold without valid certificates of product registration (CPR) in violation of Republic Act No. 9711, or the FDA Act of 2009.

However, unregistered HUPs can be easily found and ordered from online sellers at both Shopee and Lazada despite the strict prohibition against their distribution and sale.

In the public health warnings issued by the FDA against these unregistered HUPs, the agency said that “potential hazards (from using such products) may come from harmful, toxic and banned active ingredients that pose imminent danger to human and animal health.”

“The use of substandard and possibly adulterated household/urban pesticide products may result in adverse reactions including, but not limited to, skin irritation, itchiness, anaphylactic shock, respiratory orders, endocrine complications, brain damage and organ failure,” the FDA warned.

As a safety precaution against the health risks from using unregistered HUPs, the FDA advised  the public to:

1.  Verify if the product is duly registered with the FDA before purchasing it.
2.  Read the product labeling information carefully and follow the usage instructions and warnings.
3.   Consult a doctor when experiencing any of the adverse effects of improper use of the product, including irritation of the skin, eyes and stomach (due to accidental ingestion).

Consumers are further advised to contact the nearest Poison Control Center  in case of suspected HUP poisoning, and to report to the FDA any distribution and sale of unregistered HUPs.

The EcoWaste Coalition urged the general public to heed the above reminders from the FDA, emphasizing it is better to be safe than to be sorry.

Product Listings for Selected FDA-Warned Unregistered Household/Urban Pesticides Being Sold Online:

Angel Insecticide Aerosol:
https://shopee.ph/search?keyword=angel%20insecticide (at least 35 product listings)
https://www.lazada.com.ph/tag/angel-insecticide/?catalog_redirect_tag=true&page=2&q=angel%20insecticide&spm=a2o4l.homepage.search.d_go (at least 3 product listings)

Bidia Aerosol Insecticide:
https://shopee.ph/search?keyword=bidia%20aerosol (2 product listings)

Gecko Aerosol Insecticide:
https://shopee.ph/search?keyword=gecko%20aerosol (at least 9 product listings)
https://www.lazada.com.ph/tag/gecko-insecticide/?q=gecko%20insecticide&catalog_redirect_tag=true (at least 6 product listings)

Guiwang Frogking Insecticide Aerosol:
https://shopee.ph/search?keyword=guiwang (at least 5 product listings)
https://www.lazada.com.ph/catalog/?q=guiwang%20frogking (at least 2 product listings)

Heng De Buhawi Aerosol Insecticide :
https://shopee.ph/search?keyword=hengde%20buhawi (at least one product listing)

KJ Insecticidal Aerosol:
https://shopee.ph/search?keyword=kj%20insecticidal (over 100 product listings)
https://www.lazada.com.ph/catalog/?page=2&q=KJ%20insecticidal (at least 13 product listings)

Wawang Frogking Aerosol Insecticide:
https://shopee.ph/search?keyword=wawang%20frogking (over 115 product listings)
https://www.lazada.com.ph/tag/wawang-frogking/?catalog_redirect_tag=true&page=3&q=wawang%20frogking (at least 25 product listings)

References:

https://www.fda.gov.ph/fda-advisory-no-2024-1001-reminders-to-the-general-public-on-the-safe-use-of-household-pesticide-products/
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/FDA-Advisory-No.2024-0636.pdf
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/FDA-Advisory-No.-2024-0635.pdf
https://www.fda.gov.ph/fda-advisory-no-2024-0913-public-health-warning-against-the-purchase-and-use-of-unregistered-household-urban-pesticide-hup-hengde-buhawi-aerosol-insecticide-lavender-scent/
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/FDA-Advisory-No.2024-0915.pdf
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/FDA-Advisory-No.2023-0778.pdf
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/FDA-Advisory-No.2023-1500.pdf
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FDA-Advisory-No.2023-1920.pdf
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/FDA-Advisory-No.2022-0293.pdf
https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/FDA-Advisory-No.2022-0152.pdf
https://www.fda.gov.ph/fda-advisory-no-2023-1543-guidance-for-retailers-on-the-regulation-of-household-urban-hazardous-substances-huhs-establishments-and-products/