Walk a mile in these shoes

They say that you get what you pay for, and that cheap is more expensive in the long run.

This is mostly true for cheap electronics and other merchandise that breaks down and costs you more to fix than the initial purchase price. But something else that many Namibians might be paying for without knowing is their health.Chinatown is a popular and much frequented place that offers everything from batteries to baking pans at discounted and wholesale prices. The quality of goods sold in Chinatown has come under the spotlight frequently, with customers complaining that the quality of the goods sold is questionable and that they tend to come undone over short periods of time. Majority of customers that frequent Chinatown are low income earners that cannot afford higher priced and better quality goods.While it is commendable that there are goods available at a price that the common man can afford, better care needs to be taken when considering the quality and safety of goods that allowed into Namibia, whether for sale to high end customers or to low income earners.One such commodity is a pair of Croc lookalike shoes for toddlers. Crocs are a high-end, lightweight, footwear brand that are quite popular in summer. A pair of original Crocs will cost you about N$350 while a similar pair of toddler sized Crocs from Chinatown will cost you an affordable N$25. The only difference, apart from the obvious low quality is that the Chinatown Crocs come with a warning that reads, ‘State of California Prop.65:This product contains DEHP, a Phthalate Chemical, Lead and other chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm.’Granted not many people that frequent Chinatown read this warning or even care what a DEHP or Lead is or the effect that it might have on their health. Most of the people seen buying the sandals when asked said that as far as they knew, they were cheap and a good offer and did not think that they could be dangerous in any way.According to an article published in June 24 2011, at Marcola.com, DEHP is a chemical substance that the European Union (EU) is phasing out of use over the next three to five years. The use of three other Phthalate based chemicals in children’s toys has already been banned in the EU. According to this article, exposure to DEHP can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs and the reproductive system-particularly in the developing testes of prenatal and neonatal males. This put simply means that if a woman pregnant with a boy is exposed to this chemical, the unborn boy will have underdeveloped sexual reproductive organs.According to Wikipedia, presence of the heavy metal Lead in the body interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic (poisonous) to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines kidneys and reproductive and nervous systems. It interferes with the development of the nervous systems and is therefore particularly toxic to children, causing potentially permanent learning and behaviour disorders. Symptoms of lead poisoning include abdominal pain, headaches, anaemia, irritability and in severe cases seizures, coma and death.Apart from cheap sandals, almost every plastic container and tool can contain DEHP, from toys to hospital equipment. In 2008, the United States Congress banned the use of up to six Phthalates from children’s toys, adult toys and cosmetics. But products with these potentially harmful substances have managed to find their way into Namibia’s markets and possibly exposing uninformed Namibians to dangerous and health altering substances.The Namibia Standards Institute (NSI), a branch of the Ministry of Trade and Industry that addresses consumers concerns and queries, was contacted. The NSI acted fast and immediately purchased two pairs of the sandals with the warning message. The NSI is investigating the issue and will communicate the outcome. Information and awareness building are essential for consumers of all walks of life. It is the duty of a manufacturer to inform a consumer of the presence of any harmful products that might be contained in a certain product. And that the information is made freely available and in a language that anyone can understand. But at the same time it is also the duty of the government, with the assistance of consumer lobby groups to demand that products, whether locally manufactured or imported, and sold in Namibia contain safe and healthy amounts of any potentially harmful substances.Information saves lives.