LEAD IDENTIFIED IN LIPSTICKS
According to a study commissioned by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics,
more than 61 percent of brand name lipsticks contain lead. The study
found that lead concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per
million (ppm), but none of the lipsticks listed lead as an ingredient.
Lead is a bioaccumulative neurotoxin that can affect learning, language
and behavior, and also been linked to infertility and miscarriages. The
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is calling on the industry to reformulate
products to remove lead and to require suppliers to guarantee that raw
materials are free of lead and other contaminants.
Link
to further information
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, 11 October 2007
NAIROBI
WASTE DUMP AFFECTS HEALTH
According to a study
commissioned by UNEP, the Dandora Municipal Dumping Site in Nairobi,
Kenya, is a threat to the health of neighboring children. Dandora, one
of Africa's largest waste dumps, is the primary dumping site for Nairobi
and is unrestricted, so it receives industrial, agricultural, domestic,
hazardous and medical wastes. Blood tests of 328 children from the area,
who also suffer from respiratory diseases, identified high
concentrations of lead and other heavy metals. The study urges expedited
decision-making on the waste dump in an economically, socially and
environmentally sustainable manner.
Links
to further information
Environmental News Service, 9 October 2007
Environmental Pollution and Impacts on Public Health: Implications of
the Dandora Municipal Dumping Site in Nairobi, Kenya
US APPROVES METHYL IODIDE USE
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved methyl iodide
(iodomethane) for use as a fumigant pesticide for preparing soil for
crop production. Methyl iodide is intended as a replacement for methyl
bromide, an ozone depleting substance being phased out under the
Montreal Protocol. However, scientists, including Nobel Laureate Roald
Hoffman, stress that the carcinogenic chemical is too dangerous to be
used as a pesticide and have requested an independent review of the
EPA's assessment of methyl iodide. The Pesticide Action Network has
called for the EPA to promote the adoption of less toxic methods of pest
control.
Link
to further information
Pesticide Action Network press release, 5 October 2007
PESTICIDE EXPOSURE LEADS TO HIGHER AUTISM RATES
According to research undertaken by the California Department of
Health Services and the Public Health Institute in Oakland, California,
US, children of mothers exposed to organochlorine pesticides, endosulfan
and dicofol are at significantly greater risk for developing Autism
Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The study found expectant mothers living close
to applications of organochlorine pesticides during their first
trimester were 6.1 times more likely to give birth to a child that
developed ASP. Researchers caution that the study is preliminary and
more research is needed before definitiveconclusions should be drawn.
Endosulfan is currently being considered for inclusion under the
Rotterdam Convention of Prior Informed Consent. It is also being
considered for inclusion for a global phase-out through the Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee.
Links to more information
Pesticide Action Netwok website
Proposal to consider endosulfan under the Stockholm Convention
SEPTEMBER 2007
STUDY FINDS
LONG-TERM IMPACT OF OIL SPILLS ON SEAGULLS
Spanish researchers have
released a study on seagull colonies breeding on shores exposed to the
2002 Prestige oil spill off Galicia, Spain. The study included analysis
of concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in bird
tissue and biochemical tests to assess damage to vital organs. The
study, carried out 17 months after the spill, identified high
concentrations of PAHs in chicks, indicating the spill impacted the food
chain, as the chicks were not born at the time of the spill. The study
concludes there is a risk of underestimating the impacts of oil spills
on seabirds by overlooking long-term impacts from chronic exposure and
emphasizes the need to quantify the circulating level of persistent
chemicals.
Link
to more information
Science for Environment Policy, 27 September 2007
SCIENTISTS CALL FOR LEAD PAINT BAN
A multinational team of environmental and occupational health
researchers has produced the first report on lead concentrations in
consumer paints in Africa. According to the study, increased
globalization and outsourcing of manufacturing has increased the trade
in products with high lead concentrations across boarders. The study
calls for international regulations to supplement local efforts and for
an eventual global ban on lead-based paints. At the 24th session of the
UN Environment Programme Governing Council (UNEP GC), a decision was taken in early 2007 on this
issue. The decision requested the UNEP Executive Director to compile an
inventory of existing risk management measures, and encouraged
governments to reduce risks posed to human health and the environment.
The UNEP GC will revisit the issue at its 25th session in Monaco in
February 2008.
Links
to more information
Environmental News Service, 27 September 2007
IISD RS summary of the 24th session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global
Ministerial Environment Forum, 12 February 2007
COMMUNICATION DISRUPTION BETWEEN ORGANISMS LINKED TO POLLUTANTS
According to a study by Dutch researchers, pollutants such as heavy
metals and pesticides can impact communication between organisms in the
biosphere. Heavy metal and pesticides are widely known to disrupt
endogenous communication in the endocrine system, but this new research
suggests exogenous communication is also impacted. The researchers
concluded that a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic organisms rely on
chemical communications, particularly in predator-prey interactions, and
future research should focus on chemical info-disruption as well as
endocrine disruption.
Link to further information
Science for Environmental Policy, 20 September 2007
US WITHDRAWS FROM FORUM ON
CHEMICAL SAFETY
The US has announced it will no longer participate in
the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS). The IFCS operates
under the aegis of the World Health Organization and is designed to
develop and promote strategies for and partnerships on the sound
management of chemicals. The US said it is shifting its focus to the
Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), which
established guidelines for policies to govern the manufacture,
transportation, use and disposal of chemicals in ways that protect human
health and the environment.
Link to further information
Chemical and Engineering News, 19 September
2007
ATMOSPHERIC MERCURY LINKED TO ELEVATED MERCURY LEVELS IN FISH
According to a study undertaken by Canadian and US researchers,
atmospheric Mercury emissions can lead to elevated concentrations in
fish in as little as three years. The Mercury Experiment to Assess
Atmospheric Loading in Canada and the United States (METAALICUS) study
was conducted at the Experimental Lakes Area, Ontario, Canada.
Researchers used three separate isotopes to dose the upland, wetland and
lake, and tracked the fate of newly deposited mercury, through time and
across various habitats. According to the scientists, the study
increased understanding of the way mercury moves from atmosphere through
forests, soils, lakes and into fish. The study concluded that, if
mercury emissions from industrial activities, including coal fire power
plants, were reduced, mercury concentrations would also be reduced
within a decade.
Link to further information
Environmental News Service, 18 September 2007
CHEMICALS BLAMED FOR ARCTIC
GENDER IMBALANCE
Research undertaken by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment
Programme has established a causal link between high concentrations of
man-made chemicals in the blood of pregnant women and the high ratio of
girl to boy births. The findings may explain the recent excess of girl
babies. In the communities of Greenland and eastern Russia monitored so
far, the ratio was found to be two girls to one boy. According to the
research, chemicals identified in women's blood that mimic human
hormones are capable of triggering changes in the sex of unborn children
in the first three weeks of gestation. Chemicals carried by winds and
rivers to the Arctic accumulate in the food chain and in the
bloodstreams of the largely meat- and fish-eating Inuit communities. The
adverse effects of exposure to chemicals, including DDT, PCBs,
flame-retardants and other endocrine disrupters, are widely acknowledged
and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants addresses
the phase-out of such chemicals. The Stockholm Convention recently
initiated work on effectiveness evaluation to assess the impact of the
Convention on such affected communities.
Links to
further information
The Guardian UK, 12 September 2007
Stockholm Convention website
INITIATIVE TO DESIGNATE 2011, INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF CHEMISTRY
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is
proposing that 2011 be designated "The International Year of Chemistry."
They are seeking endorsement of the proposal by the UNESCO General
Conference in October 2007.
Link to further information
UNEP SAICM website
NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS PARTNERSHIP
LAUNCHED
The US, Mexico and Canada have
launched a regional partnership on chemicals under the Security and
Prosperity Partnership of North America. The partnership, which was
launched on 21 August 2007, aims to ensure the safe development and use
of industrial chemicals, and to assess and manage potential risks.
Environment agencies in the three countries have agreed to coordinate
their efforts to assess and take action on industrial chemicals. Under
the agreement, chemical inventories in all three countries will be
created or updated by 2020. The joint initiative will also coordinate
the management of chemicals in North America as outlined in
international agreements.
Links to further information
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) website
United States Environmental Protection Agency website
AUGUST 2007
INTERNATIONAL PANEL ON CHEMICAL POLLUTION ESTABLISHED
The International Panel on Chemical Pollution (IPCP), a network of
chemical scientists with the objective of providing scientific support
for decision makers, has been established. The IPCP is open to all
interested scientists and its declaration is open for signature. The
IPCP plans to collaborate with the Strategic Approach to International
Chemicals Management (SAICM) and the Society of Environmental
Toxicology and Chemistry. The role of the IPCP in the investigation and
solution of chemical pollution problems will be discussed at Dioxin 2007
scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2007.
NEW RESEARCH ON POPS
BIOACCUMULATION RAISES CONCERN
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
bans or restricts scheduled POPs based on properties related to their
bioaccumulation in the fish food chain. Assessment of the
bioaccumulative potential is based mainly on a chemical's octanol-water
partition coefficient (KOW); chemicals with low KOW do not build up in
the fish food chain and are therefore usually considered safe. New
research indicates, however, that the KOW may not be an accurate
indicator in food chains that include air-breathing animals. Canadian
researchers found that chemicals with lower KOWs accumulated up the
terrestrial food chain and in the air-breathing organisms of combination
food chains. These chemicals had a high octanol-air partition
coefficient (KOA), meaning that they do not easily move from fat into
air. According to the researchers' conclusions, low KOW-high KOA
chemicals represent a third of chemicals in commercial use and
constitute an unidentified class of potentially bioaccumulative
substances that require regulatory assessment.
JULY 2007
STUDY SHOWS AEROGEL SOAKS UP HEAVY METALS
US researchers report that they have developed a new porous material
that soaks up heavy metals from liquids like a sponge. The new material
is an aerogel, a type of rigid foam made from a gel in which most of the
liquid has been replaced by gas. Potential uses for the material include
removing pollutants, such as mercury and lead, from water. Aerogels are
usually made of silica or carbon, however these new aerogels are made
from chalcogenides, commonly used in semiconductors. In experiments that
placed the new gel in a solution with metal ions including mercury, the
aerogel removed most of the mercury from the solution as well as some
organic compounds. Researchers noted that the experiment contained
platinum, an element too expensive for environmental use, and are
working on substituting the platinum with cheaper elements.
Link to
further information
Environmental News Service/Reuters, 30 July 2007
CHLORINE PLANTS BENEFIT FROM MERCURY-FREE
TECHNOLOGY -- REPORT
According to an Oceana report, there are economic benefits to
eliminating mercury use in chlorine production. The report analyzed over
115 chlorine plants that have shifted from, or are in the process of
shifting from, Mercury-based technology. Results of the report indicate
mercury-free technology leads to increased energy efficiency and an
opportunity to increase capacity, sales and profits. According to the
report, only five chlorine manufacturers still use mercury in chlorine
production, and if these companies were to eliminate mercury use, close
to 4,400 pounds of reported mercury emissions would be eliminated
annually.
Link to
further information
Oceana Press Release, 18 July 2007
POPS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA – STUDY RESULTS
Spanish researchers
investigating the concentrations of certain Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs), namely polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and
hexachlorobenzene (HCB), in Mediterranean sediments have released
results that indicate that elevated concentrations of POPs in the
Mediterranean are generally localized and associated with
urban/industrial and river discharges and coastal enclosures (harbors
and coastal lagoons). The study also included a temporal element, which
observed a decreasing trend in DDT concentrations over time. Such
studies are likely to become more prevalent as parties to the Stockholm
Convention begin work on effectiveness evaluation by gathering regional
data on POPs concentrations.
Links to
further information
Science for Environment Policy: DG Environmental News Alert Service,
5 July 2007
IISR RS Coverage of Stockholm COP-3
CHILE URGED TO NOT SELL WARSHIPS ON SCRAP MARKET
According to a press
release by the NGO Platform on Shipbreaking, dated 2 July 2007, two
decommissioned Chilean frigates (former UK navy vessels) named the
Almirante Cochrane (formerly the HMS Antrim) and the Capitan Prat
(formerly the HMS Norfolk) are to be sold on the international ship
scrap market. Chile is party to the Basel Convention, but according to
the release, the Chilean Navy may not know about the Convention and may
inadvertently become responsible for what would be illegal traffic in
hazardous waste under international law. The NGO Platform has advised
the Chilean Basel Convention Competent Authority and recommended that
the ships be exported to an environmentally sound facility, as required
by the Basel Convention.
Link to further
information
Basel Action Network, 2 July 2007
JUNE 2007
EUROPEAN MINISTERS ADOPT
REVISED APPROACH ON WASTE
On 28 June 2007, the EU
Environment Council reached agreement to revise the Waste Framework
Directive, which had been criticized as fragmented and inefficient. The
Environment Council agreed to, inter alia: include the
possibility for member states to limit incoming shipments of waste if
such "shipments would have the consequence that national waste
would
have to be disposed of" rather than "recovered" through incineration;
allow some municipal incinerators to be defined as "recovery" as opposed
to "disposal" operations, based on an energy efficiency formula;
maintain a "five-step" waste hierarchy, establishing an order of
priority for dealing with waste, beginning with prevention and ending
with landfill disposal; and defer agreement on specific recycling
targets, although they agreed that a broad definition of recycling is
most appropriate. The European Parliament has indicated that it intends
to remain firm on the issue of recycling targets. The outcomes were
applauded by industry, but criticized by environmental groups.
Link to further
information
World Business Council for Sustainable Development/EurActive.com, 29
June 2007
PESTICIDE USE LINKED TO
PARKINSON'S DISEASE – STUDY
The relationship between
exposure to pesticides, solvents and some heavy metals has been
investigated by European researchers, with results identifying an
association between pesticide use and Parkinson's disease, a disorder of
the central nervous system. The study suggests that low intensity
exposure to pesticides may increase risk of Parkinson's, although
further research is required to identify specific pesticides associated
with this effect. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic
Pollutants has scheduled twelve chemicals for phase out due to health
impacts, including nervous system and liver damage, some cancers, and
endocrine disruption or interference with hormone functions. The
Stockholm Convention, through the Persistent Organic Pollutant Review
Committee, is considering scheduling further chemicals, including some
pesticides. The European research is expected to inform this process.
Link to further
information
Science for Environment Policy: DG News Alert Service, 21 June 2007
IISD RS Coverage of the Second Meeting of the Stockholm Convention
Persistent Organic Review Committee
ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF REACH EXAMINED
European researchers recently investigated the potential impact of
REACh on the public and private sector in new European Union member
States by examining the extra-costs that REACh imposes on industry. The
European chemical policy REACh (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization
and Restriction of Chemicals) is an integrated system for registering,
evaluating and authorizing chemical use. Under REACh, firms that
manufacture and import more than one tonne of chemicals per year must
evaluate the risks from the use of these chemicals and take steps to
manage identified risks. The study indicates that complying with REACh
can impact the profit margins of firms by a few percent to 60%, with the
magnitude of the impact depending on the number of chemicals used by a
firm.
Link
to further information
Science for Environment Policy: DG News Alert Service, 14 June 2007
GUIYU DUBBED E-WASTE CAPITAL OF CHINA
Under the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement on Hazardous
Waste, e-waste can only be exported with the consent of the importing
country, but according to a recent Reuters report, exporters bypass
rules by labeling e-waste as "used PCs" or "mixed metals," and much of
this waste ends up in one of the more than 5,500 e-waste businesses in
Guiyu, China. The report estimates that the business is worth 1 billion
yuan (US$ 130.9 million) in Guiyu alone. According to the report,
workers are exposed to toxic chemicals during the disposal process, and
many small businesses take few safety precautions to protect their
workers.
Link
to further information
Environmental News Network, 11 June 2007
PLASMA CONVERTER SYSTEMS PURCHASED FOR NEW
RECYCLING FACILITY
Startech Environmental Corporation, has signed a contract of sale with
EnviroSafe Industrial Services Corporation of San Juan, Puerto Rico, for
the purchase of three Plasma Converter Systems. The combined capacity of
the three systems is approximately 50,000 pounds per day and the
facility is expected to begin operation in 2008. The Plasma Converter
System destroys wastes, including organics and inorganics, solids,
liquids and gases, hazardous and non-hazardous waste, industrial
by-products and also items such as "e-waste," medical waste, and
chemical industry waste, and converts most into useful and value
products including a synthesis-gas, Plasma Converted Gas (PCG). PCG
can be used to produce gas to liquid fuels including: ethanol; synthetic
diesel fuel; and other higher alcohol "alternative" fuels.
Link
to further information
Environmental news service, June 4, 2007
MAY 2007
SAICM
REPORTING INITIATIVE FORMALLY LAUNCHED
The Strategic Approach to
Chemicals Management (SAICM) has formally launched a reporting
initiative, which will seek to assist in the development of appropriate
reporting modalities for the SAICM. Canada proposed the project to
develop guidance for the Secretariat in consultation with stakeholders.
The proposal was discussed at the EU-JUSSCANNZ and Central and Eastern
European regional meetings in late 2006 and made available on the SAICM
web site for comment. The purpose of the project is to assist
preparations for and deliberations at the second meeting of the
International Committee on Chemicals Management (ICCM), scheduled for
2009, specifically regarding approaches for measuring, assessing and
reporting on progress under SAICM through to 2020. The project will
address the preparation of a baseline report and the development of
indicators for subsequent progress reports and arrangements for
gathering information from stakeholders. Results of the project may also
inform other international forums, including the UN Commission on
Sustainable Development, where toxic chemicals are anticipated to be the
subject of deliberations in the 2010-2011 biennium.
Link to further information
Project launch briefing
BACTERIA
IDENTIFIED TO CLEAN UP PCBs
Researchers in the US have identified a group of bacteria that can
detoxify a common form of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Aroclor
1260. PCBs were used as coolants and lubricants in transformers,
capacitors, and other electrical equipment because they do not burn
easily and are good insulators, but they are now one of 12 chemicals
scheduled for elimination under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants. The discovery is said to be a first step toward a
bioremediation strategy that would naturally detoxify the PCBs without
risky removal of the sediments in which they persist, such as through
dredging and disposal in landfills.
Link to more information
Environmental News Service, 1 May 2007
UNEP/CHINESE INITATIVE TO CURB ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
An initiative to assist customs officers in China deal with
multi-billion dollar environmental crime has been initiated by the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP), secretariats of multilateral environment
agreements (MEAs), the Chemical Weapons Convention, the World Customs
Organisation and Interpol. The effort seeks to equip customs officials
with the necessary skills and know-how to address this growing problem.
A wide range of chemicals are controlled, banned or subject to phase
outs under MEAs, nonetheless, environmental crime and illegal trade is
estimated to be valued at tens of billion dollars a year.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 16 May 2007
MARCH 2007
FAO AND WHO SIGN MOU
ON THE SOUND MANAGEMENT OF PESTICIDES
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health
Organization (WHO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in March
2007 to cooperate through a Joint Programme for the Sound Management of
Pesticides under the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution
and Use of Pesticides (Code of Conduct). The Code of Conduct, adopted by
the FAO Council in 2002, is the framework and the general guiding
document for the sound management of pesticides, and has established
standards of conduct for all public and private entities engaged in, or
associated with, the distribution and use of pesticides. It includes the
life-cycle concept of pesticide management and focuses on risk reduction
and the protection of human health and the environment.
Link to further information
FAO Programme on Pesticides Residue in Food and the Environment webpage
Contact email
COALITION OF
CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS RELEASES REPORT ON END OF LIFE OF SHIPS
An updated version of the report "End of Life Ships – the human cost
of breaking ships" was released on 15 March 2007 in Hindi by the
Platform on Shipbreaking, a global coalition of environmental, human and
labor rights organizations. The report concludes that India and other
concerned governments need to ensure all end-of-life vessels are fully
decontaminated prior to export. It also recommends that the shipping
industry should be held responsible for upgrading India's shipbreaking
yards. Shipbreaking was discussed at Basel Convention COP-8 and
discussions will continue at COP-9 in 2008.
Link to further information
BAN Press Release, 15 March 2007
AFRICAN BASEL
CENTRE FOR TRAINING AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER LAUNCHED
A Basel Convention Coordinating Centre was launched on 7 March 2007 in
Nigeria. The Centre was created by a Framework Agreement between the
Secretariat of the Basel Convention and the Nigerian Government. The
Basel Convention Coordinating Centre will coordinate the Basel
Convention Regional Centres based in Egypt, Senegal and South Africa and
work in the field of training and technology transfer for the
environmentally sound management of hazardous and other wastes as well
as hazardous waste minimization. The Centre will contribute to the
promotion of a lifecycle approach to the management of hazardous
materials through the coordinated implementation of the Basel
Convention, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
and the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for
Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.
Link to further information
Basel Convention Press Release, 7 March 2007
STEP E-WASTE
INITIATIVE LAUNCHED
A new global public-private initiative aimed at "Solving the E-Waste
Problem (StEP)" was launched 7 March 2007. The StEP initiative will seek
to standardize recycling processes globally to harvest valuable
components in electrical and electronic scrap (E-scrap), extend the life
of products and markets for their reuse, and harmonize world legislative
and policy approaches to e-scrap. Participants in this partnership
include Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Dell, Ericsson, Philips and Cisco
Systems, UNEP, governmental, NGO and academic institutions, along with
recycling / refurbishing companies. The Basel Action Network (BAN),
however, voiced concern that StEP has not denounced the global dumping
of electronic waste on developing countries.
Links to further information
UNU Press Release, 6 March 2007
BAN Press release, 7 March 2007
FEBRUARY 2007
COTE D'IVOIRE TOXIC DUMPING CASE SETTLED FOR US$198
MILLION
On 13 February, the government of Côte d'Ivoire settled with the owner
of the Probo Koala, multinational Trafigura, for US$198 million and
agreed to drop all charges against the company. The toxic waste scandal
began when, on 19 August 2006, the Probo Koala delivered 400 tons of
petrochemical waste to Abidjan, which was subsequently dumped in
open-air sites throughout the city. The waste contained a mixture of
gasoline, water, caustic washings and hydrogen sulfide. A spokesman for
Côte d'Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo stated that the settlement does
not include the proceedings undertaken against the multinational outside
of Côte d'Ivoire and most of the money from the settlement will go to
help the victims. Greenpeace condemned the settlement because it was
struck the day before the results of the criminal investigations in the
Côte d'Ivoire, The Netherlands and Estonia, where the Probo Koala was
impounded, were published. Other environmental groups say the events in
Abidjan are a reminder that the Basel Convention has failed to stem the
dumping of waste in developing countries.
Links
to further information
Environmental News Source, 15 February 2007
Industry News Feeds, 15 February 2007
BAN ACCUSES JAPAN OF INTENT TO INCREASE TRADE IN TOXIC
WASTE
The Basel Action Network (BAN) has issued a report that condemns the
Japanese government for pursuing bilateral Economic Partnership
Agreements (EPAs) to re-open the Asian region to toxic waste
trafficking. The Basel Convention requires all countries to take
national responsibility for managing their own waste within their
borders, and sets rules on exports. According to Richard Gutierrez of
the Basel Action Network's Asia-Pacific office, EPA arrangements have
involved unspoken deals, such as the Philippines being promised access
to domestic and nursing labor markets in Japan or Thailand receiving a
mass transit investment for Bangkok.
Link
to further information
BAN report
CHEMICAL
INDUSTRY GOVERNORS BRIEFED ABOUT SAICM DURING WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
The "Chemical Industry Governors Meeting," which took place on 26
January 2007 during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos,
Switzerland, was briefed on the Strategic Approach to International
Chemicals Management (SAICM) and invited to participate in its
implementation. The WEF recently added chemicals to its list of industry
groups, which address issues of primary importance to their sector and
provide intellectual stewardship to the Forum's efforts. Industry
Governors groups are made up of CEOs selected from influential
companies. This year, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner addressed
the group and called on them to regard SAICM as an opportunity to
communicate industry's achievements, share its best practices and hold
itself accountable for continuously improving environmental performance
in the both the developing and the developed world.
Link to further information
SAICM Newsletter, February 2007
JANUARY 2007
LEBANON
LITTERED WITH TOXIC WASTE – REPORT
A UNEP report, released 23 January 2007, found that urgent,
widespread environmental problems confront the Lebanese authorities as a
result of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel during mid-2006. The
post-conflict assessment was carried out at the request of the Lebanese
authorities following the cessation of hostilities 14 August 2006. The
report indicates that many of the bombed and burned out factories and
industrial complexes, including the Jiyeh power plant south of Beirut,
are contaminated with toxic and hazardous substances. The report
indicates that the missiles used in the conflict did not contain
depleted uranium or any other kind of radioactive material.
Links to further information
UNEP report
Environmental News Service, 23 January 2007
IFCS SOLICITS INPUT FOR FORUM VI
AGENDA
The Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) has
issued a call for input on the list of possible topics for the next IFCS
meeting, Forum VI. Forum V agreed on a list of possible topics for
future sessions of the Forum. IFCS participants are invited to contact
their Forum Standing Committee (FSC) representative with their comments
on this list. The deadline for submission is 1 February 2007.
LEGAL WORK
BEGINS ON PROBO KOALA CASE
British lawyers arrived in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, on 8 January 2007
to begin taking statements from thousands of witnesses of the Probo
Koala waste dumping case. The lawyers from Leigh Day, the British law
firm representing those suing Trafigura, the London-based arm of the
firm that chartered the Probo Koala vessel, stated that up to 5000
people may be involved in the class action suit. The dumping caused 10
deaths, while more than 40.000 people sought medical advice after over
400 tons of allegedly highly toxic waste were dumped in Abidjan from the
Probo Koala in August 2006.
Link to more information
Guardian Unlimited (The Guardian), 8 January 2007
SAN FRANCISCO
CITY SEEKS TO BAN COMPOUNDS IN PLASTIC TOYS
The city of San Francisco wants to lead the United States in
blocking certain compounds in plastic toys and other products for kids.
However, companies and manufacturers state that the ban violates the US
Constitution's Supremacy Clause, through which federal laws are superior
to local ones. The products, which are said to contain bisphenol A and
phthalates, include dolls, pacifiers and rubber ducks. The American
Chemistry Council and the California Chamber of Commerce filed a
challenge to the ordinance, and the city has agreed to hold off on
enforcement until an 8 January hearing.
Link to more information
Environmental Science & Technology
US CONSIDERING
CREATING NATIONAL MERCURY STOCKPILE
A "Draft Recommendation Paper for Managing Federal Stocks of
Commodity Grade Mercury," obtained by Inside EPA, suggests that the Bush
administration is considering creating a national stockpile to store
mercury from federal and state governments as well as private sources.
The issue of a ban on international mercury sales is expected to be
raised at the February meeting of the UNEP Governing Council. The
creation of the stockpile could reduce concerns that mercury released
into international commerce could contaminate natural resources.
Links to more information
Inside EPA (through subscription)
Basel Action Network
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