DECEMBER 2004
20TH
ANNIVERSARY OF BHOPAL DISASTER REKINDLES DEBATE ON CORPORATE
ACCOUNTABILITY, UNDERSCORES HUMAN RIGHTS RESPONSIBILITIES
The 20th
anniversary of the Bhopal disaster that occurred in 2 December 1984 was
observed across the globe by numerous events, including the opening of a
free medical clinic in Bhopal, the release of a number of documentaries
on Bhopal, vigils at over 40 U.S. colleges and a shareholder resolution
calling on Dow to resolve its liabilities. A key Amnesty International
report exposing the failure of Union Carbide/Dow Chemicals and the
Indian government to comply with their respective obligations and
responsibilities, and a new Environmental Health Fund book entitled
"Trespass Against Us: Dow chemicals and the Toxic Century were also
launched. Thousands of people were killed immediately after the
disaster, which occurred when 27 tons of lethal gases leaked from Union
Carbide's pesticide plant in Bhopal. Over 100,000 people are suffering
from exposure-related illnesses, including cancer and neurological
damage.
Links to
further information
EMS, 29
November 2004
ENS,
30 November 2004
Amnesty International report: Clouds of Injustice: Bhopal Disaster Twenty Years on
SEPTEMBER 2004
FAO APPEALS TO DONORS
TO FUND CONTINUED PESTICIDE CLEANUP EFFORTS
The Food and Agriculture Organization's Programme on the Prevention and
Disposal of Obsolete Pesticides will run out of funding by the end of
the year, without further assistance from donor countries, according to
the programme's director. Obsolete stocks of pesticides, which are
widespread in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin
America., continue to be a threat to human health and the environment.
The FAO has received an increasing number of requests for assistance
from affected countries, with the clean-up of one ton of obsolete
pesticides costing US$3500. It is estimated that 50,000 tons of obsolete
stocks currently exist in Africa alone.
Links to further information
Toxic waste from pesticides is ticking time bomb for poor countries, UN
warns, UN News Service, 9 September 2004
FAO
warns of pesticide waste time bomb in poor countries, FAO News
Service, 9 September 2004
JULY 2004
ORGANIC TECHNIQUES
GROW BETTER TOMATOES
Tomatoes grown with organic mulch and less chemical fertilizer do better
than conventionally-grown tomatoes, a recent study showed. While
conventional tomatoes were grown using black plastic row covers for weed
control and a full dose of fertilizer, the other tomatoes were grown
with a mulch of hairy vetch, a legume that provides nitrogen and
controls weeds, and a half dose of fertilizer.
Leaf death and disease onset occurred two
weeks later in the organic tomatoes than the conventional ones, and
levels of nutrient-linked genes were higher in the organic tomatoes. The
authors suggest that alternative techniques could increase yields by up
to 20%.
Links to further information
Fewer chemicals, better tomatoes?, Science
(subscription required), 6 July 2004
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2004/706/1
An alternative
agriculture system is defined by a distinct expression profile of select
gene transcripts and proteins. V. Kumar et al., Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
(subscription required), 12 July 2004
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0403496101v1?
maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=mattoo&
searchid=1089832070756_6104&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0
AIR CLEANERS
INEFFECTIVE AGAINST VOCS
Commercially-available air cleaning devices, marketed for home use, are
ineffective against common household volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
according to a recent study by researchers at Syracuse University in the
United States. VOCs are present in many common household products, such
as air fresheners, cleansers, building materials, and paints, and many
are considered hazardous air pollutants, in outdoor as well as indoor
air. In most cases, the cleaning devices tested did not remove any of
the 16 test chemicals, including formaldehyde and toluene.
Links to further information
Study finds air cleaners ineffective against hazardous pollutants,
Newsday, 7 July 2004
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--cleanair0707jul07
,0,2059422.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire
JUNE 2004
US FILES FORMAL COMMENT WITH WTO ON EU
REACH PROPOSAL
Citing concerns with the European Union's
Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restrictions of Chemicals
(REACH) proposal, the United States has filed a formal comment with the
World Trade Organization's Technical Barriers to Trade Committee. In its
comment, the United States argues that the REACH proposal would "adopt a
particularly costly, burdensome, and complex approach, which could prove
unworkable in its implementation, disrupt global trade, and adversely
impact innovation." While the US notes improvements in the proposal from
earlier versions, it maintains that the programme would disrupt global
trade in key sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, and electronics;
impose substantial costs and uncertain benefits, and create market
uncertainty.
Links to
further information
Environment News Service, 24 June 2004
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jun2004/2004-06-24-03.asp
US Comments on EC REACH proposal, US
Mission to the EU, 21 June 2004
http://www.useu.be/Categories/Evironment/June2204USREACHComments.html
HIGH LEVELS OF PBDES
FOUND IN BREAST MILK IN CANADA
A study conducted by Health Canada has revealed that the breast milk of
Canadian women contains the second highest levels in the world of
polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), chemicals used as flame
retardants in electronic products and furniture. Levels measured were
about 5-10 times higher than in women from Japan, Sweden and Germany.
Levels in US women, the highest in the world, were twice as high as
those measured in Canada. PBDEs are regulated in the European Union.
Health Canada and Environment Canada recommended last month that the use
of certain PBDEs be discontinued.
Links to further information
Globe and Mail, 7 June 2004
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/
20040607/TOXICGTA07/TPNational/TopStories
NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
EFFECTS OF CHEMICALS ON CHILDREN'S INTELLIGENCE AND BEHAVIOR
A new report from WWF argues that chemicals in the environment have
severe impacts on children's intelligence and behavior, and could be
linked to autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
According to research presented in the report, children in Europe suffer
from poorer memory, reduced visual recognition, less-developed movement
skills, and lower IQ scores as a result of chemical contamination. The
report calls on the European Union to phase out persistent,
bioaccumulative and endocrine disrupting chemicals and substitute them
with safer alternatives.
Links to further information
WWF-UK
Chemicals and Health Campaign Briefing: Compromising Our Children,
Chemical Impacts on Children's Intelligence and Behavior, June 2004
http://www.panda.org/downloads/toxics/children.pdf
MAY 2004
DOCTORS AND
SCIENTISTS WARN OF CHEMICAL POLLUTION DANGERS
A group of 80 scientists, experts and
medical doctors have
called for stronger regulation of untested chemicals.
Part of a group called ARTAC (Association
pour la Recherche Thérapeutique
Anti-Cancéreuse) these experts issued a declaration on 7 May calling for
governmental action in light of increasing incidences of cancer and
sterility. The declaration, launched during a UNESCO conference, calls
chemical pollution "a serious threat to children and man's
survival" and says that "the human race itself is in serious danger." It
calls on governments to implement the precautionary principle in
decision making.
Link to further information
The Paris Appeal
http://appel.artac.info/en_anglais.htm
STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON POPS ENTERS INTO
FORCE
The 2001 Stockholm Convention on
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) enters into force on Monday, 17
May. POPs are highly stable compounds that can last for years or decades
before breaking down. They circulate globally through a process known as
the "grasshopper effect," where POPs released in one part of the world
can, through a repeated process of evaporation and deposit, be
transported through the atmosphere to regions far away from the original
source. The Stockholm Convention addresses 12 such substances – 10
intentionally-produced POPs, as well as two POPs that are formed as
unwanted byproducts such as dioxins and furans. In addition to banning
the use of POPs, the treaty focuses on cleaning up the growing
accumulation of unwanted and obsolete stockpiles of pesticides and toxic
chemicals that contain POPs. The Convention also requires the disposal
of PCBs and PCB-containing wastes. The first Conference of Parties
(COP-1) to the Stockholm Convention will be held during the first week
of May, 2005, in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Issues to be resolved at COP-1
include: addressing dioxins and furans; assisting countries in malarial
regions with alternatives to DDT; supporting the development of
implementation plans for the Convention, and establishing a POPs review
committee for evaluating additional chemicals and pesticides to be added
to the initial list of 12 POPs.
Link to
further information
UNEP press release, 14 May 2004
http://www.pops.int/documents/press/EIF/
MARCH 2004
ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES EXPRESS CONCERN
OVER REACH PROPOSAL
The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
has criticized the European Union's Registration, Evaluation and
Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) proposal as "overly expansive,
burdensome, and costly" in a recent letter to the European Commission.
Countries of APEC include Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Indonesia,
Korea, Malaysia, Mexico and the United States. In particular, APEC
members expressed concern that the REACH programme would harm the
region's manufacturing sector, developing economies, and economies
dependent on commodity exports. They also
suggested that the REACH proposal would create unfair trade barriers.
Links to further information
APEC press release, 12 March 2004
http://www.apec.org/apec/news___media/media_releases/130304_euchemdlgharmful.html
EUROPEAN COMMISSION CONSULTS WITH
STAKEHOLDERS ON MERCURY STRATEGY
The European Commission is seeking
stakeholder input on its mercury strategy. The EC's environment
directorate recently issued a consultation document inviting comments
from stakeholders to inform the development of an EU strategy on
mercury, which the Commission has been invited to present to the Council
in 2004. The document analyzes the situation relating to the use,
control, emissions and impact of mercury in the EU. The paper provides
an introduction to the mercury problem, describes current EU controls on
mercury, and presents an overview of mercury supplies, production, use
and emissions, as well as options for recovery, recycling and disposal.
The paper also outlines policy options for dealing with mercury.
Stakeholder comments on the document will be accepted until 11 May.
Links to further information
European Commission Mercury Strategy
Consultation Document
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/chemicals/mercury/consultation.pdf
European Commission Mercury Strategy
Pages
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/chemicals/mercury/index.htm
FEBRUARY 2004
ROTTERDAM CONVENTION ENTERS INTO FORCE
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior
Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and
Pesticides in International Trade became legally binding on 24 February
2004. Jointly supported by FAO and UNEP, the Rotterdam Convention
enables countries to decide which potentially hazardous chemicals they
want to import and to exclude those they cannot manage safely. Where
trade is permitted, requirements for labeling and providing information
on potential health and environmental effects aim to promote the safer
use of chemicals.
The Convention has been implemented on a
voluntary basis since September 1998 in the form of the interim PIC
procedure. The Convention starts with 27 chemicals, but as many as 15
more pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been identified
during the interim PIC procedure are flagged for inclusion at the first
meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-1) to the Convention.
Among these are highly toxic pesticides that are traded internationally,
such as parathion and monocrotophos, as well as five different forms of
asbestos. COP-1 will take place in Geneva from 20-24 September 2004.
Links to
further information
Rotterdam Convention website
http://www.pic.int
STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON POPs TO ENTER INTO FORCE ON 17 MAY 2004
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs) will become legally binding on 17 May 2004, 90 days
following France's ratification, which gave the treaty the 50
ratifications required for entry into force.
As highly stable compounds,
POPs can persist for years or decades before breaking down. POPs
released in one part of the world can, through a repeated process of
evaporation and deposition, be transported through the atmosphere to
regions far away from their original source. POPs then concentrate in
living organisms, posing a toxic risk to humans and the environment.
Every human in the world carries traces of these chemicals in their
bodies, and some of the highest levels can be found in the Arctic.
The Stockholm Convention
addresses a target list of 12 POPs (these are aldrin, chlordane, DDT,
dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex, toxaphene, polychlorinated
biphenyls or PCBs, hexachlorobenzene, dioxins and furans). Most of the
intentionally-produced POPs on this list will be banned immediately.
However, the use of DDT for disease vector control under World Health
Organization guidelines will be allowed in some countries to control
malaria transmission by mosquitoes. For dioxins and furans, which are
unintentionally-produced POPs, the treaty will set out guidelines for
promoting "best environmental practices" and "best available techniques"
that can reduce or eliminate releases. The treaty also addresses the
challenge of cleaning up the growing accumulation of unwanted and
obsolete stockpiles of pesticides and toxic chemicals.
The first session of the
Conference of the Parties to the Convention will be held in Punta del
Este, Uruguay in early 2005.
Links to
further information
Stockholm Convention website
http://www.pops.int
UNEP press release, 18 February 2004
http://www.pops.int/documents/press/pr2-04SC.pdf
JANUARY 2004
WWF EXPOSES NEW CHEMICAL CONCERNS, CALLS
FOR STRONGER LAWS
Many chemicals in everyday consumer goods
pose a toxic hazard to humans and animals, suggests a new WWF report
entitled "Causes for concern: Chemicals and Wildlife." The report, which
pulls together recent scientific evidence on contamination of humans and
wildlife by chemicals in consumer products, was released at the launch
of WWF's DetoX Campaign aimed at lobbying the EU for stronger laws on
chemicals.
New toxic hazards found in everyday
consumer goods are found to have contaminated a wide range of animals,
from dolphins and whales to pet birds and alligators. Most prominent on
the list of new toxic hazards are: perfluorinated compounds, which are
used in textile production, food packaging and non-stick coatings such
as Teflon; phthalates found in plastics; phenolic compounds in food
cans, plastic bottles and computer shells; and brominated flame
retardants (BFRs) found in TVs and fabrics. These chemicals have been
found to cause numerous health problems, including cancer, damage to the
immune system, behavioral problems, and hormone disruption. Highlighting
continuing evidence of widespread and ongoing contamination by chemicals
that have already been banned or regulated such as PCBs and DDT, WWF
emphasizes the persistence of chemical substances and stresses the
importance of preventing a new generation of chemicals from
accumulating.
"We know that the
global production of chemicals is increasing, and at the same time we
have warning signals that a variety of troubling threats to wildlife and
human health are becoming more prevalent," says Clifton Curtis,
Director of WWF Toxics Programme.
"It is reckless to suggest there is no link between the two, and give
chemicals the benefit of the doubt."
WWF is calling for the adoption and
strengthening of the proposed EU law known as REACH (Registration,
Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals), which would require
manufacturers and importers to provide information on the 30,000 or so
industrial chemicals annually marketed in Europe. Saying there's nothing
in the WWF's claims and that dangerous chemicals were already banned in
the EU, the European Chemical Industry Council dismissed the WWF report.
The chemical industry claims that legislation would be too costly,
inefficient and bureaucratic.
Links to further information
Causes for concern: Chemicals and
Wildlife
http://panda.org/downloads/toxics/causesforconcern.pdf
WWF's DetoX Campaign
http://panda.org/detox
EU SET TO LAUNCH
POLLUTION REGISTER
The European Union will publicly launch
the European polluting emission register, or EPER, on 23 February. EPER
is run jointly by the European Commission and the European Environment
Agency. It will initially include data on 50 pollutants from industrial
facilities in the EU countries and Norway and their releases to air,
surface water and wastewater treatment plants. This information will be
publicly available on the internet, and will be searchable by company,
location, country, pollutant, and/or industry sector. Updates are
planned in 2006 (based on 2004 data) and in 2008 (based on 2007 data).
The pollutants covered include greenhouse gases, air pollutants, metals,
chlorinated organic compounds, as well as numerous other substances.
Links to further
information
EPER website
http://www.eper.cec.eu.int/eper/default.asp
European Commission EPER Information
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ippc/eper/index.htm
UK
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY PLANS DATABASE
The
UK Chemical Industries Association (CIA) has announced that it plans to
develop a database of chemicals marketed in the UK. The database will
contain information on all chemicals marketed by CIA member companies.
The scope of information included is to be determined. The development
of the database is part of the chemical industry's preparations for the
new EU Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH)
programme.
Links to further
information
Chemical Industries Association Press Release, 22 January 2004
http://www.cia.org.uk/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?
db=news2&uid=default&view_records=1&ID=375&ww=1
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
EXPECTS GROWTH IN 2004
The chemical industry is expecting growth
in 2004 throughout most parts of the world. Production, demand and
capital spending are predicted to increase, with shut-down plants
expected to be brought back on-line. The Outlook predicts growth in the
US, Canada, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Europe is seen
as lagging behind other regions in industry improvement.
Links to further information
Chemical and Engineering News, 12 January 2004
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/8202/html/8202world.html
FARMED SALMON CONTAIN
MORE POPs THAN WILD SALMON
Farmed salmon has been shown to contain more persistent organic
pollutants (POPs) than wild salmon, a recent study finds. Published in
Science, this study
analyzed contaminant levels in over two tons of farmed and wild salmon
from around the world, and showed that concentrations of polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) and other POPs, such as dioxins, toxaphene, and
dieldrin, are significantly higher in farmed salmon than in wild salmon.
The highest levels of contaminants were found in farmed salmon from
Europe. The differences in contaminant levels are most likely due to the
contaminant content of commercial fish feed. Based on the combined
concentrations of PCBs, toxaphene, and dieldrin, the authors applied
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines and calculated that
consumers should eat no more than one meal a month of farmed salmon to
avoid an increased risk of cancer. Officials from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration criticized the findings, arguing that the levels found do
not pose a public health concern.
Links to further
information
Ronald A. Hites et al. Global Assessment of Organic Contaminants in
Farmed Salmon. Science 203:9, January 2004, pp. 226-229
(subscription required)
http://www.sciencemag.org
New York Times, 9 January 2004
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/09/science/09SALM.html
BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS
FOUND IN PEREGRINE
FALCONS
Peregrine falcon eggs have been found to contain high levels of
brominated flame retardants (BFRs), including deca-BDE, previously
thought not to accumulate in wildlife. A study published in
Environmental Science and Technology
analyzed eggs from peregrine falcons in Sweden for levels of
BFRs. Deca-BDE, thought to pose a lower risk than certain other BFRs, is
exempted from legislation that will ban penta- and octa-BDE in the
European Union later this year. The measurements suggest that deca-BDE
is accumulating in the environment along with other BFRs.
Links to further
information
P. Lindberg et al. Higher Brominated Diphenyl Ethers and
Hexabromocyclododecane Found in Eggs of Peregrine Falcons (Falco
peregrinus) Breeding in Sweden. Environmental Science and
Technology 38, pp. 93-96,
2004 (subscription
required)
http://pubs.acs.org/journals/esthag/
ENS Newswire
(subscription required), 7 January 2004
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2004/2004-01-07-03.asp
up to top
