MEDIA REPORTS
CHEMICALS
MANAGEMENT
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2008
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DECEMBER 2008
EUROPEAN
COMMISSION WELCOMES VOLUNTARY AGREEMENT ON SAFE STORAGE OF MERCURY
The European Commission has welcomed and, for the first time,
formally recognized a voluntary agreement to ensure the safe storage of
surplus mercury from the European chlor-alkali industry, once a ban on
exports of the highly toxic metal from the European Union takes effect.
The legislation requires that mercury that is no longer used, be stored
in manner that prevents its release. Euro Chlor, the European
association of the chlor-alkali industry – the chemical industry sector
responsible for chlorine and caustic soda production – has agreed to
ensure safe storage under optimal conditions, when the legislation comes
into effect in 2011.
Link to further
information
Press release, 22 December 2008
NGO LAUNCHES
INTERNATIONAL "NO PESTICIDES USE DAY"
The global Pesticide Action Network launched "No Pesticides Use Day"
on December 3, 2008. The day aims to draw attention to the life
threatening impacts of chemical pesticides on people and the
environment. The date was chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the
chemical disaster in Bhopal, India, which occurred 3 December, 1984, and
killed hundreds and injured thousands of people.
Link to further information
Pesticide Action Network Asia and Pacific, 3 December 2008
NOVEMBER 2008
EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT BACKS PESTICIDES BAN
On 5 November 2008, the European Parliament's environment committee
approved a ban on pesticides that are toxic to human health. The issue
will now be taken up by EU member states, including some that favor a
more lenient approach to pesticide use, in January 2010. Members of the
European Parliament (MEPs) agreed to compromises, including agreement
that national action plans for reducing the volume of pesticides used
should include quantitative targets. A minimum 50% reduction target is
proposed for "active substances of very high concern" and those
classified as "toxic or very toxic." Another clause includes the
possibility for member states to reject pesticides authorization granted
by other EU countries, and to allow the continued usage of toxic
substances when they are proven essential for crop survival. The
committee's report on the authorization process restates MEPs' support
for hazard-based criteria for deciding approval of the most dangerous
substance and recommends additional cut-off criteria for immunotoxic and
neurotoxic substances.
Link to further information
Euroactiv, 6 November 2008
OCTOBER 2008
ILO, IMO, AND THE BASEL CONVENTION EXPERTS DISCUSS
SHIP BREAKING
Experts from the International Labor Organization (ILO), International
Maritime Organization (IMO) and Basel Convention secretariats met from
29-31 October 2008, to discuss measures to promote guidelines that would
make ship breaking not only clean but also "green." Mindful of the "One
UN" approach, and following the recommendations of the Joint ILO/IMO/Basel
Convention Working Group, the Secretariats of the Basel Convention, IMO
and ILO, drafted a concept for a "Global Programme for Sustainable Ship
Recycling" to promote a coordinated approach in addressing the issues
faced by the ship recycling industry. The Global Programme is intended
to establish a broad framework for activities to be undertaken in
participant countries with a view to facilitating future implementation
of the "International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound
Recycling of Ships" and, prior to entry-into-force of the Convention, to
promote the protection of human and health and the environment in the
context of ship recycling activities.
Link to
further information
Joint ILO/IMO/Basel Convention Working Group on Ship Scrapping, 31
October 2008
PESTICIDES DAMAGE
BRAIN GROWTH
According to a recent Danish study, many pesticides used it the EU
damage brain growth. The study, which was based on a review of 200
scientific reports about the brain and pesticides, focused on the use of
pesticides in the EU, which is currently reviewing pesticide laws. The
study said that pesticide chemicals that could be damaging included
organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, ethylenebisdithiocarbamates
and chlorophenoxy herbicides. It recommended increased testing and
caution in approving chemicals because of uncertainties about their
effects.
Link to further information
Environmental News Network, 24 October 2008
NEW STUDY HIGHLIGHTS PESTICIDE'S IMPACT ON FOOD
CHAIN
According to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh,
sublethal concentrations of commonly used pesticide malathion can
indirectly hurt frog populations, by altering the food chain in aquatic
ecosystems. After dosing wood frogs and leopard frogs with very small
concentrations of malathion, the researchers discovered that the
chemical did not kill the frogs directlyinstead, they died from the
indirect effects of the pesticide on tiny zooplankton and the entire
food chain. The researchers concluded that the term sublethal is
actually a "misnomer," because the exposure is ultimately lethal but in
an "insidious fashion."
Link to
further information
American Chemical Society, 15 October 2008
ENDOSULFAN
RETRIEVED FROM PHILIPPINES VESSEL
According to newspaper reports, 402 barrels containing endosulfan
were retrieved safely from the sunken MV Princess of the Stars, in the
Philippines. The vessel capsized off Sibuyan Island in Romblon,
Philippines, on 21 June 2008, during a typhoon. It was carrying more
than 800 crew and passengers. According to reports, priority was given
to the retrieval of the pesticide endosulfan, to ensure the safety of
those who would retrieve the remains of over 500 victims. Endosulfan is
a neurotoxic organochlorine insecticide of the cyclodiene family of
pesticides. It is an endocrine disruptor and is acutely toxic. A
European Union proposal to consider listing endosulfan under the
Stockholm Convention was considered this week at the fourth meeting of
the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC4).
Link to further information
The Manila Times, 6 October 2008
TRIAL OVER COTE
D'IVOIRE TOXIC DUMPING UNDERWAY
A trial is underway in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, against a dozen
people accused of involvement in a toxic waste scandal in August 2006.
Charges include poisoning, complicity to poison and breaking
environmental and public safety laws. A key defendant and head of the
Cote d'Ivoire company Tommy claims he was mislead by the Dutch
multinational Trafigura, saying he was not told the waste from the
Panamanian-registered cargo ship Probo Koala was
dangerous. The waste "slops" were dumped at public sites across Abidjan,
and killed 17 people while sickening thousands of others. The "slops"
were a mixture of petroleum residues, sulfur and caustic soda, which had
accumulated in the ship. The trial continues and the accused face life
imprisonment if convicted.
Links to further information
France 24, 1 October 2008
Terra Daily, 1 October 2008
SEPTEMBER 2008
FEARS CHINA'S
MILK SCANDAL MAY SPREAD
According to newspaper reports, the EU has ordered rigorous testing
of imports containing at least 15 percent milk powder, after concluding
that food containing tainted milk powder from China may be in Europe,
putting children at risk. Problems with milk powder produced in China
emerged in early September 2008, and in recent weeks milk products
contaminated with the chemical melamine have sickened more than 50,000
young children. Melamine is a chemical used in plastic manufacturing
that can be added to foods to artificially increase their protein
content in testing. Its presence was detected in pet foods originating
from China in 2007.
Link to further information
New York Times, 26 September 2008
REPORT FINDS
E-WASTE EXPORT INADEQUATELY REGULATED IN THE US
According to a report commissioned by the US House Committee on
Foreign Affairs, the US Government Accountability Office has found that
US hazardous waste regulations have not stopped exports of toxic used
electronics to developing countries. The report says this is partly
because regulations are not being enforced by the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and partly because the regulations are too
limited to deal with the growing problem. Current US regulations address
only one type of electronics, old-fashioned, rectangular monitors.
Exports of other e-waste currently flow unrestricted. The report faults
the EPA for not assessing the extent of noncompliance, and indicates
that EPA officials told investigators they have neither plans nor a
timetable to develop an enforcement program.
Link to further information
Environmental News Service, 18 September 2008
PESTICIDE
EXPOSURE LINKED TO DEPRESSION
Researchers from the University of Iowa, US, evaluated diagnosed
depression and pesticide exposure among privately employed pesticide
applicators in Iowa and North Carolina between 1993 and 1997. The
researchers found that pesticide poisoning was more strongly associated
with depression. The study concluded that "both acute high-intensity and
cumulative positive exposure may contribute to depression in pesticide
applicators." The study is unique in reporting that depression is also
associated with chronic pesticide exposure in the absence of a
physician-diagnosed poisoning.
Link to further information
Environmental Health Perspectives, 9 September 2008
UK CLASSROOMS CONTAIN TOXIC CHEMICALS
According to recent newspaper reports, dust extracted from UK school
rooms contained high concentrations of pollutants which accumulate in
human tissue and could create health problems. The study undertaken by
researchers at the University of Birmingham identified concentrations of
a harmful chemical found in furniture, carpets and wall insulation, as
well as a pollutant used to flame-proof electronic equipment, at
"significantly greater" concentrations in classrooms than in offices.
Link
to further information
The
Daily Telegraph, 5 September 2008
GHANA BANS 25 PESTICIDES
Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has banned the import
of 25 agro-chemicals because of their toxicological risks to human
health, animals, crops and the environment. The ban includes toxaphene,
aldrin, endrin, chlordane, captafol and DDT. The Ghanian EPA is also
encouraging Ghanian scientists to put more emphasis on biological
control methods to reduce the over-reliance on chemicals. Aldrin, endrin
and DDT are being phased out under the Stockholm Convention, and
chlordane is under consideration for inclusion in the Convention.
Link
to further information
Ghana Graphic, 1 September 2008
AUGUST 2008
EXXON SETTLES OVER
PCB LEAK OFF CALIFORNIAN COAST
According to reports, between 2002 and 2005, two large electrical
transformers on an Exxon Mobil offshore oil and gas platform in the
Santa Barbara Channel leaked nearly 400 gallons of fluid contaminated
with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Following a settlement agreement
announced in August 2008, Exxon Mobil will pay a $2.64 million fine to
the US Environmental Protection Agency. Exxon also failed to ensure that
workers who cleaned up the leaked fluid were provided with protective
clothing or equipment to guard against direct contact with and
inhalation of PCBs. In 2005, Exxon replaced the two transformers with
others that contain no PCBs. It was concerns about human health and the
extensive presence and lengthy persistence of PCBs in the environment
that led the US Congress to enact the Toxic Substances Control Act in
1976. Internationally, PCBs are being phased out under the Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, however the US is not party
to this Convention.
Link to further information
Environmental News Service, 25 August 2008
INDIAN
GOVERNMENT AGREES TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION OVER BHOPAL
On 8 August 2008, the Government of India announced it would take
legal action on the civil and criminal liabilities of Union Carbide and
its owner, Dow Chemical Company, for the Bhopal disaster. It announced
it would also establish an "Empowered Commission" on Bhopal, to address
the health and welfare needs of the Bhopal survivors as well as
environmental, social, economic and medical rehabilitation. The
announcement followed numerous actions by the survivors, including a
172-day demonstration, a 500 mile walk and a 60-day hunger fast. The
US-based Dow Chemical Company maintains it bears no responsibility for
the disaster, which activists say killed more than 22,000 people, left
many of the 150,000 survivors with serious ailments, and currently
poisons the drinking water for 25,000 residents.
Link to further information
Pesticide Action Network North America, 14 August 2008
STUDY LINKS AGENT
ORANGE TO PROSTATE CANCER
A study by researchers at the University of California Davis Cancer
Center involved the review of more than 13,000 Vietnam veterans' medical
records. The study found that soldiers exposed to the herbicide Agent
Orange and its contaminant, dioxintetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD),
were almost four times more likely to develop prostate cancer. Agent
Orange has been linked to leukemia, Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma.
Link to further information
Science Daily, 5 August 2008
ATMOSPHERIC
EMISSIONS OF MERCURY REPORT RELEASED
In response to UNEP GC decision 24/3 IV, the UNEP Chemicals Mercury
Programme has released the draft report "Atmospheric Emissions of
Mercury: Inventory, Sources and Transport," and invites comments from
governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental
organizations and other stakeholders. Comments should be submitted to
gfutsaeter@chemicals.unep.ch, by 10 August 2008. The report will be
submitted to the Governing Council's 25th Session in 2009.
Link to further information
UNEP Mercury Programme website
JULY 2008
STUDY FINDS
INCREASED POISONING BY 'SAFE' PESTICIDES
A recent study by the US Center for Public Integrity (CPI) has
identified that poisoning by pyrethrins (and their synthetic
counterparts pyrethroids) has risen by 63% from 1998 to 2006. The study
concludes that the rise of poisonings reflects the growing use of these
'safe' pesticides in insect repellents, pet shampoos and children's lice
treatments. In response to the CPI's report, the director of the US
Environment Protection Agency's Office of Pesticide Programs has
announced plans for a broad study of these chemicals.
Link to further information
Pesticide Action Network North America, 31 July 2008
STUDY FINDS
FALLING CONCENTRATIONS OF TOXIC CHEMICALS IN ARCTIC ANIMALS
Results of a recent Canadian Government study suggest that
concentrations of toxic chemicals in Arctic animals are dropping. The
study found carcinogens such as Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and
organochlorines have levelled off or have begun declining. PCB levels in
beluga, narwhal, walrus and ringed seal have fallen by an average of 43%
since 1997. The study suggests these falling concentrations are evidence
that the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which
came into force in 2004, is effective. The study also found that
mercury, from air pollution from coal fired power generation, increased
42% in ringed seal flesh, although the average exposure increase for
humans was marginal. The UN is considering the issue of mercury and the
need for global action through the UNEP Open-Ended Working Group on
Mercury, which is scheduled to convene for its second meeting in October
2008.
Link to further information
CBC News, 14 July 2008
FRENCH GOVERNMENT
TO ASSIST IN CARIBBEAN POPs PROJECT
The French Government will provide US$51 million over the next three
years to Guadeloupe and Martinique, to impose stricter limits on the
amount of chlordecone (also known as kepone). Laboratories will also be
equipped to test for the presence of kepone. Concerns over chlordecone
use arose in 2007, when it was suggested that use of the chemical may be
linked to increased cancer rates on both islands. Chlordecone has been
considered by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Review Committee (POPRC), and recommended for inclusion in Annex A
(elimination) of the Convention. Parties will take a decision on
inclusion of this chemical at the fourth Conference to the Parties in
May 2009.
Link to further information
Pesticide Action Network North America, 3 July 2008
JUNE 2008
ENDOSULFAN HAZARD
ON SUNKEN PHILIPPINES FERRY
According to news reports, rescue and salvage efforts for the
Princess of the Stars ferry have been halted in the Philippines, after
information came to light that the capsized vessel contained 20,000 lbs
of endosulfan. The seven-story vessel, which capsized in a typhoon on 21
June, will now be refloated, and this is expected to take two months.
The Government of the Philippines has banned the consumption of seafood
caught in the area. Endosulfan, an endocrine-disrupting pesticide, was
being transported illegally aboard the passenger vessel and was destined
for Del Monte pineapple plantations, which is exempt from a Government
ban on the use of the pesticide. The Stockholm Convention's Persistent
Organic Pollutant Review Committee will consider a proposal from the EU
to schedule endosulfan in the Convention at its fourth meeting in
October 2008.
Link to further information
GMA News, 30 June 2008
GARDENERS' CROPS IN
THE UK CONTAMINATED
According to newspaper reports, gardeners in the UK have reported
severely deformed vegetables, due to contamination by manure originating
from farms where the hormone-based herbicide aminopyralid was sprayed on
fields. The Royal Horticultural Society warned gardeners not to eat the
contaminated home-grown vegetables. Dow AgroSciences, which
manufacturers aminopyralid, has advised gardeners not to replant on the
affected soil for at least a year.
Link to further information
The Guardian, 29 June 2008
STUDY EXAMINES
EFFORTS TO LIMIT CHEMICAL USE THROUGH TAXATION According to a recent
study of chemical fertilizer taxes in Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands,
Sweden and Norway, taxation schemes led to a reduction in fertilizer use
by farmers over the last two decades. The authors suggest that taxation
schemes could play a more significant role in chemicals policy, beyond
fertilizers, by careful targeting environmentally damaging chemicals.
The study suggests the tax level on each chemical should be proportional
to the damage caused by the substance, but concedes there is also a
danger of administrative burden.
Link to further information
Science for Environment Policy, 26 June 2008
NEW PESTICIDES LAW FOR
EU
According to news reports, the European Union has agreed to proposed
changes to the pesticide authorization law. The changes seek to reduce
the number of crop chemicals available in EU markets. The proposal, to
be debated by the European Parliament in late 2008, would allow groups
of countries with similar geographic and climatic conditions to take
decisions on the use of specific products. Currently, pesticide use is
approved for individual countries. Under the new arrangement, rules
would be tightened for more toxic pesticides, while those seen as less
hazardous to human and animal health would become easier to approve.
According to Europe's pesticides industry, the new law will remove
products from the market that have been used safely for years, as it
uses a hazard-based, not risk-based, approach.
Link to further information
Reuters News Story, 23 June 2008
STUDY FINDS HOUSEHOLD WASTE IS AN EFFECTIVE
FERTILIZER
A recent Swedish study investigated the effects of the use of
organic waste from different sources as a fertilizer. Researchers
investigated changes in soil microbial and chemical properties following
applications of compost, biogas production residue and sewage sludge, as
well as traditional fertilizers such as pig or cow manure and NPS
mineral fertilizers. They found that, in relation to improved soil
health, the compost and biogas residue performed equally well or better
than the other fertilizers.
Link to
more information
Science for Environment Policy, 12 June 2008
NRDC CLAIMS EPA SCIENTISTS' ANALYSIS HINDERED BY
WHITE HOUSE
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a new
White House policy interferes with the US Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) programme. IRIS
evaluates the risks of chemicals and their associated human health
impacts, and is used by EPA offices and states to set standards for
drinking water, air pollution and waste cleanups. NDRC claims the new
White House policy will delay scientific assessments of chemicals'
health risks and hinder opportunities for public comment and scientific
debate. Congress has also been probing White House policy. North
Carolina Congressman Brad Miller, Chair of the House Science
Subcommittee on Investigation and Oversight, said "the White House has
effectively blocked the USEPA from posting new health assessments of
hazardous chemicals by prolonging the assessments because of inevitable
uncertainties about the interaction of chemicals and human health."
Links to
more information
Natural Resources Defense Council, 12 June 2008
Environmental News Service, 12 June 2008
UK ADOPTS IAASTD RECOMMENDATIONS
The UK has adopted the recommendations of the International
Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for
Development (IAASTD), calling for an end to input-intensive,
trade-driven agriculture and renewed support for sustainable, local,
smaller-scale agro-ecological farming. The UK became the 58th of 61
countries who participated in the final IAASTD report review to endorse
the call for "A New Era of Agriculture." The US, Canada and Australia
have not adopted the document.
Links to
more information
UK Parliament, 6 June 2008
IAASTD website
UGANDA HIGH COURT BANS DDT
According to reports, on 6 June 2008, the Ugandan High Court ruled
that indoor residual spraying of DDT must cease. The Ministry of Health
began application of DDT to prevent malaria infection in February in the
north of the country. The ruling is in response to complaints filed by
groups of organic farmers, traders and conservationists, who claimed
that European buyers of organic products would refuse shipments if any
traces of DDT were identified. DDT is being phased out under the
Stockholm Convention.
Links to
more information
All Africa, 6 June 2008
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 31 May 2008
MAY 2008
INDIAN GOVERNMENT
AGREES TO CONVENE PANEL FOR BHOPAL VICTIMS
According to newspaper reports, more that 23 years after the Bhopal
gas tragedy at Union Carbide's Bhopal pesticide plant, which killed more
than 20,000 people, the Government of India agreed to convene an
empowered commission to assess the medical, economic, social and
environmental rehabilitation of the victims. The announcement was made
by Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Prithviraj Chavan,
after meeting the victims who had walked from Bhopal to Delhi and staged
a two-month sit-in.
Link to more information
The Times of India, 29 May 2008
STUDY LINKS LEAD
EXPOSURE TO VIOLENT CRIME
A recent study undertaken by researchers at the University of
Cincinnati has linked high concentrations of lead in the blood of
fetuses and young children to higher rates of criminal arrests in
adulthood. The study found that the strongest association between
childhood blood-lead concentration and criminal behaviour was for
arrests involving acts of violence. The use of lead paint has been
banned in many countries, but many houses are still painted with lead
paint. Lead from exterior household paint also commonly migrates into
soils. At its 24th session, the UNEP Governing Council discussed the
issue of lead. It recognized the need to fill information gaps regarding
lead and cadmium and requested the UNEP Executive Director to compile an
inventory of existing risk management measures.
Links to more information
Environmental News Service, 28 May 2008
IISD RS summary report of the
24th session of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing
Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC-24/GMEF)
ENVIRONMENTALISTS PRAISE PROPER SHIP BREAKING
Environmental NGOs welcomed the cleaning and decontamination of the
former chemical tanker "Otapan," in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
According to the Basel Action Network, following pressure from the NGO
Platform on Shipbreaking, the Turkish Prevention of Hazardous
Shipbreaking Initiative and Greenpeace Netherlands, the Dutch Ministry
of Environment agreed to full compliance with the Basel Convention and
its decisions on the transboundary movement of wastes, including a
requirement to pre-clean vessels of all toxic substances, such as
asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), prior to export.
Link to more information
The Basel Action Network, 16 May 2008
TALCUM POWDER
LINKED TO OVARIAN CANCER
A US coalition of public health experts, medical doctors and
consumer organizations is petitioning the US Government for warning
labels on cosmetic talcum powder products. The petition is a response to
an analysis of 16 studies that confirmed a statistically significant,
33% increased risk, associated with the use of talc around the perineum.
According to the coalition, labels should explain that frequent
application in the female genital area increases the risk of ovarian
cancer.
Link to further information
Environmental News Service, 15 May 2008
APRIL 2008
PESTICIDE BANS DO NOT REDUCE AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT –
STUDY
A Sri Lankan study on the impacts of banning insecticides monocrotophos,
methamidophos, and endosulfan found no reduction in agricultural
productivity after the bans were introduced. The chemicals were banned in the 1990s in an effort to
reduce fatal poisonings and suicides. The study, which was published in
the April 2008 issue of the journal, Environmental Health
Perspectives,
concluded that where
affordable substitutes exist for pest control, there is no significant
impact on agricultural output.
Link to
more information
Article, April 2008
BHOPAL DISASTER STILL CAUSING BIRTH DEFECTS -
REPORT
Hundreds of children are still being born with birth defects every year
as a result of the industrial disaster 23 years ago in the central
Indian town of Bhopal, according to news reports. Campaigners are
demanding that the Indian Government provide the families affected with medical care. According to
reports, the disused Union Carbide factory still contains about 8000 tonnes of carcinogenic chemicals which continue to leach and
contaminate water supplies used by some 30,000 people.
Link to
more information
The Guardian newspaper, 30 April 2008
INSECTICIDE KILLS KENYAN WILDLIFE
According to newspaper reports, five hippopotamuses have died and four
lions were paralyzed after being exposed to carbofuran in the Maasai
Mara in Kenya, in late April. Traces of the granular insecticide, which
is used to kill insects, were found in both the hippopotamus carcasses
and areas where they grazed. The sick lions had been feeding on the
hippopotamus carcasses. Kenyan conservationists have urged the Kenyan
government to follow the example of Europe and the US by banning the
import and sale of carbofuran.
Link to
more information
International Herald Tribune, 28 April 2008
GLOBAL WARMING
MAKES FISH MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO PESTICIDES – STUDY
Australian researchers have found that global warming, and
associated sea water temperature rise, may make fish more susceptible to
dying from pesticide-contaminated water. The study also found the
reverse – that pesticide exposure may make fish more prone to dying from
rising water temperatures. Fish exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of
endosulfan and chlorpyrifos (two pesticides still widely used on
Australia's cotton fields) showed "significant reductions" in the
ability to survive in warmer waters. Endosulfan will be considered by
the Persistent Organic Pollutant Review Committee for inclusion in the
Stockholm Convention at its next meeting in October 2008. The Committee
is likely to draw on the new research when considering if, as a result
of the long-range environmental transport of endosulfan, the chemical is
likely to lead to significant adverse human health and/or environmental
effects such that global action is warranted.
Links to more information
PANNA, 10 April 2008
Stockholm Convention
CHEMICAL IN
PLASTICS MAY HINDER CHILD BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
According to a report by the US National Toxicology Program, an
estrogen-like chemical in plastic could be harming the development of
children's brains and reproductive organs. The report found that
bisphenol A (BPA) harmed animals when they were exposed at the low
concentrations found in nearly all humans. BPA is one of the most widely
used synthetic chemicals in industry today. Canada took steps on 18
April 2008 to ban polycarbonate infant bottles, after officially
declaring BPA toxic.
Links to more information
Los Angeles Times, 16 April 2008
New York Times, 19 April 2008
ENDOSULFAN
BANNED IN BENIN
On 19 February 2008, the Government of
Benin announced its plans to end the use of endosulfan. The decision
follows the 2007 report from Benin's Health Ministry, which indicates
that 20 endosulfan deaths had been recorded in northern Benin through
its application on cotton crops. The European Union has already banned
the use of the chemical and endosulfan will be considered by the
Stockholm Convention's Persistent Organic Pollutant Review Committee in
October 2008, for inclusion in the Convention. It will also be
considered by the parties to the Rotterdam Convention at the fourth
Conference of the Parties, in October 2008, for inclusion in the Prior
Informed Consent Procedure.
Links to further information
Pesticide Action Network North America, 3 April 2008
Rotterdam Convention
Stockholm Convention's Persistent Organic Pollutant Review Committee
MARCH 2008
DDT IDENTIFIED IN
CHINA'S PEARL RIVER DELTA
The journal "Environmental Toxicology and
Chemistry" has published a major report on China's environmental health.
Researchers identified polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carcinogenic
hydrocarbons, in the Pearl River Delta in south China's Guangdong
Province. The study also found residues of endocrine-disrupting
organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the Delta, including high
concentrations of DDT in both surface water and sediments. The use of
DDT in agriculture was banned in China in 1983. After long periods of
decomposition, DDT residues should mainly exist in the form of its
metabolite dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE). The study concluded
the identification of DDT, as opposed to DDE, raises the possibility of
new DDT discharges. In China, DDT is still found in oil-based paints and
is also used to make the chemically-related pesticide dicofol, and these
represent two potential sources.
Link to further information
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, March 2008
PESTICIDE USE LINKED TO PARKINSON'S DISEASE
A new study, which involved scientists from Udall Parkinson's Disease
Research Center of Excellence and several universities, found strong
evidence that exposure to pesticides significantly increases the risk of
Parkinson's disease. The study included 600 people and found that those
exposed to pesticides had a 1.6 times higher risk of developing
Parkinson's. The disorder, which normally develops later in life and can
affect movement and speech, is also influenced by genetic factors. Those
characterized as "heavy users," classed as over 200 days exposure over a
lifetime, carried over double the risk of developing the disease.
Link to further information
BBC News, 28 March 2008
PESTICIDE
EXPOSURE LINKED TO GULF WAR SYNDROME, STUDY FINDS
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have
concluded that organophosphate and carbamate acetylcholinesterase
inhibitors (AchEas), including pyridostigmine bromide (PB), pesticides
and nerve agents, are responsible for Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) in
veterans. According to the study, approximately 250,000 of the 1990-91
Gulf War veterans subsequently experienced chronic fatigue, muscle pain,
memory loss and other symptoms, a condition known as GWS. During the
Gulf War, soldiers were exposed to pesticides used to eliminate sand
flies.
Link to further information
US National Academy of Sciences, 10 March 2008
PAKISTAN CABINET
RATIFIES STOCKHOLM CONVENTION
The caretaker Federal Cabinet in Pakistan announced a series of
environmental initiatives in early February 2008. These included the
Cabinet's approval of the ratification of the Stockholm Convention on
Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Link to further information
Pesticide Action Network North America, 6 March 2008
AGENT ORANGE SUIT
REJECTED
On 22 February 2008, a US Court of Appeal upheld the decision of a
New York judge that Vietnamese civilians exposed to the pesticide Agent
Orange during the Vietnam War could not sue the manufacturer of the
substance or the US government for damages. Millions of people were
exposed to Agent Orange, a defoliant containing the dioxin 2,4-D, during
the war. The judge ruled the chemical was used to protect US troops, and
not to as a weapon of war against human populations. The Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is phasing out and
eliminating the use of twelve organic pollutants, including dioxins, to
protect human health and the environment.
Link to further information
International Business Times, 22 February 2008
Stockholm Convention website
FEBRUARY 2008
BHOPAL SURVIVORS MARCH TO DELHI
On 20
February, survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide disaster, when poisonous
gas leaked from a factory in Bhopal, began a
500-mile padyatra (pilgrimage by foot) to assert their rights to justice
and a life of dignity and health. The survivors claim that Dow Chemical
(the site's owner since it purchased Union Carbide) and the Indian
government have failed to address concerns about contaminated water,
which they say is consumed by 20,000 people, as well as the fact that
10-15 people a day are dying from chemical exposure. The survivors are
calling for clean drinking water, medical care, economic rehabilitation,
and environmental clean up.
Link to
further information
International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, 20 February 2008
INDUSTRY GROUP SUES NGO OVER PESTICIDES REPORT
The
Agrochemicals Policy Group, which represents the pesticide industry, has
filed a defamation case against New Delhi NGO Toxic Links, according to
a report in an Indian newspaper. According to The Hindu
newspaper, the industry group's lawsuit was filed in response to the
Toxic Links campaign, "The Killing Fields of Warangal," which links the
death of farmers in Warangal to the spraying of pesticides. According to
the Agrochemicals Policy Group, the article was intended to malign the
Indian pesticide industry. Other industry groups, including the
Endosulfan Manufacturers and Formulators Association, said the NGO's
action had a negative impact on the manufacture of agrochemicals.
Endosulfan
is one of the chemicals to be considered for inclusion in the Stockholm
Convention, by the Persistent Organic Pollutant Review Committee (POPRC)
at its next meeting in late 2008. It was to be considered at the group's
last meeting in November 2007, but the proposal was deferred by the EU,
which cited the need to compile further evidence on the characteristics
of the chemical, including its persistence and potential for long-range
environmental transportation.
Link to
further information
The Hindu, 14 February, 2008
NGO REPORTS DEPARTURE OF
TOXIC SHIP FROM SAN FRANCISCO
The Basel Action Network (BAN), a non-governmental organization (NGO)
focused on toxic trade, has reported that an ex-ocean liner, the SS
Independence (aka SS Oceanic), was towed on 8 February 2008 from San
Francisco, toward Singapore. BAN labeled the action a breach of US and
international law because the vessel is suspected of containing large
quantities of hazardous materials, such as toxic polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) and asbestos, the export and import of which are
prohibited under laws in the US and Singapore. The Basel Convention, an
international treaty controlling trade in toxic waste, prevents any
country that is party to the Convention, such as Singapore, from trading
in waste with any country that is not a party to the Convention, such as
the US.
Link to further information
Basel Action Network, 12 February 2008
STUDY EVALUATES
PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANT EMISSIONS IN EUROPE
A recent study has evaluated the effectiveness of a protocol to the
UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-range
Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). The LRTAP persistent organic
pollutants (POPs) protocol covers the pesticides hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH)
and hexachlorobenzene, and industrial chemicals such as polychlorinated
biphenyls. To evaluate the effectiveness of the protocol at reducing the
release of POPs, researchers carried out a detailed survey of their
sources and the amounts released in each of the UNECE countries,
excluding Canada and the US. The analysis revealed that dioxins, furans
and HCH decreased significantly between the years 1990 and 2000. Using
future activity scenarios developed under the Clean Air for Europe
programme, the researchers predict that emissions will be further
reduced by 2020, if the LRTAP POP protocol is fully implemented by all
countries. These findings are significant for the global Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which is currently entering
into its first phase of effectiveness evaluation and developing a global
monitoring plan for POPs.
Link to further information
Science for Environment Policy, 7 February 2008
Stockholm Convention
BIOCONTROL STUDIED AS ALTERNATIVE TO CHEMICAL PESTICIDES
Recent UK research suggests that
biocontrol, which involves the use of beneficial bacteria or fungi to
control plant disease and pests, could be developed as an alternative to
pesticides. The research focused on developing a method to apply
biocontrol agents to seeds before they are planted. Prior to planting,
seeds are routinely pre-treated with chemical pesticides to protect the
plant against diseases and pests. The UK researchers demonstrated that
biocontrol agents can also be applied to seeds during drum priming, a
seed preparation method that is used commercially to improve
germination. Researchers also highlighted that the future development of
these biocontrol agents and other "biopesticides" (any
biologically-based agent used for the control of plant pests) will
depend on changes to chemical regulations, which are currently designed
for synthetic chemicals.
Link to further information
Science for Environment Policy, 7 February 2008
SALES OF HARMFUL
PESTICIDES BANNED IN FRANCE
As part of a plan to halve pesticide use in agriculture over the
next ten years, the French Government has introduced a ban on sales of
harmful pesticides. The ban entered into force on 1 February 2008 and
includes thirty active substances used in 1,500 products. These include paraquat, fenarimol and procymidone. Stakeholders agreed to the ban in
2007 as part of a major consultation on France's future environmental
policy. According to the French Government, a further 20 active
substances will be banned by the end of 2008.
Link to further information
Environmental News Daily, 4 February 2008 (requires subscription for
full story)
Planet Ark/Reuters, 4 February 2008
JANUARY 2008
UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON TOXIC WASTE VISITS TANZANIA
The
Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and
dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of
human rights, Okechukwu Ibeanu (Nigeria), visited Tanzania from 21-30
January 2008. The objective of his mission was to gather information on
the impact that mining activities are having on the environment and on
human rights, and to study the movement and use of chemicals. He cited
concern about the large volume of unregulated small-scale mining using
mercury and the activities of many large-scale mining
operations. Ibeanu also called on the Tanzanian Government to monitor more
closely its occupational health and safety standards as well as
relations between the mining corporations and the surrounding
communities.
Link
to further information
UN press release, 30 January 2008
HARMFUL CHEMICALS RELEASED FROM PLASTIC BOTTLES
New
research indicates that the clear polycarbonate plastic bottles used by
athletes and hikers release the endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol-A
(BPA) if the liquids they contain are hot. BPA is widely used in
products such as reusable water bottles, food can linings, water pipes
and dental sealants, and has been shown to affect reproduction and brain
development in animal studies. The researchers found that BPA was
released up to 55 times more rapidly when these bottles are exposed to
hot water.
Link
to further information
Environmental News Service, 30 January 2008
PESTICIDES MAY IMPACT BARRIER REEF
According to
recent reports, run-off from recent flooding associated with a monsoonal
low in Queensland, Australia, could impact the Great Barrier Reef.
Representatives from the Queensland Conservation Council (QCC) said the
floodwaters brought a new threat and that pesticides used on farms, as
well as heavy metals at mine sites in the coal-rich Bowen Basin, could
impact the reef. The report indicated that the floodwaters caused the
river estuaries to be flushed out, destroying all the fish breeding
habitats and overwhelming the environment. The QCC said the reef could
take years to recover.
Link to
further information
The Australian, 29 January 2008
RESEARCHERS CONSIDER LINK BETWEEN PESTICIDE
EXPOSURE AND TYPE 2 DIABETES
Researchers from Cambridge are advocating further research into possible
links between environmental pollution and Type II diabetes. The
researchers cited peer reviewed studies demonstrating a strong
relationship between the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants
(POPs) in blood, including a Korean study that found people with high
concentrations of POPs in their blood are more likely to develop insulin
resistance, a precursor for type 2 diabetes. Acknowledging that
correlation does not imply causation, the researchers said further
studies were necessary to test the hypothesis that POPs exposure can
cause diabetes, perhaps using cell or tissue cultures.
Link
to further information
Environmental News Service, 25 January 2008
GERMANY ASSISTING TANZANIA IN DDT DISPOSAL
The
Government of Germany is assisting the Government of Tanzania in
disposing of a stockpile of DDT totalling 50 tonnes. The granular DDT
has been stored in poor conditions in the Korogwe District of Tanzania
for over 30 years. Germany, through the German Technical Corporation (GTZ),
is collecting the chemical and will ship the DDT to Germany for
destruction. DDT was commonly used to curtail malarial mosquitoes, but
is being phased out under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic
Pollutants.
Link
to further information
Pesticide Action Network North America, 17 January 2008
SPANISH STUDY
IDENTIFIES PESTICIDES IN POPULATION
A study by the University of Granada,
Spain, examined the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
in a sample of the adult population (387 individuals). According to the
results, which were released in late 2007, 100% of Spaniards have
detectable concentrations of at least one POP in their bodies. The six
POPs analyzed included compounds related to industrial processes, such
as Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), fungicides, and insecticides.
Researchers detected more of these substances in women than in men, and
more in adults than younger people. The study concluded that diet is a
contributing factor and argues that the "ingestion of some aliments,
particularly those of animal origin and high fat content, triggers a
greater presence" of these substances in humans.
Link to
further information
EurActive.com website, 8
January 2008
NEW METHOD SPEEDS REMOVAL OF POLLUTANTS FROM MOLLUSCS
Researches at
the Universitat Jaume I and the Spanish Research Council have patented a
method to remove organic pollutants, such as pesticide residues, from
bivalve molluscs. Bivalve molluscs (including mussels, oysters,
clams and cockles) obtain their food by filtering sea water to retain
the organic particles it contains. In addition to nutrients, however,
molluscs accumulate suspended particles such as organic pollutants,
which enter humans when the molluscs are eaten. Chronic exposure to
pesticides and other pollutants is associated to a higher risk of
developing cancer and certain neurodegenerative disorders. In the past,
decontamination has consisted of treating molluscs with filtered,
sterilized water, or by applying hydrostatic pressure at high
temperatures for 48 hours. The new method improves this process and
reduces the time required to remove pesticides from the tissues of
molluscs.
Link to
further information
Fish Farmer Magazine, 5
December 2007
US ANNOUNCES 2008 METHYL BROMIDE PRODUCTION AND CRITICAL USE
EXEMPTIONS
The US
Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has issued final methyl bromide
production and import critical use exemptions for 2008. Under the
Montreal Protocol, industrial nations agreed to end all use of methyl
bromide by 2005, because it is a potent ozone depletor. Since 2004
however, some countries have invoked a "critical use exemption" to
extend their deadline. The EPA authorized 4,813,452 kilograms (4,813.5
metric tonnes) of methyl bromide for approved critical uses in 2008,
which will include strawberry and tomato production, as well as
commodity fumigation. This amount is less than the amount authorized by
the meeting of the Montreal Protocol parties, which authorized 5,355,946
kilograms. According to the EPA, the authorized amount was adjusted to
account for the increased use of alternatives among methyl bromide
users, and unused methyl bromide from previous years, effectively
reducing more than 500,000 kilograms of potential methyl bromide
releases.
Link to
further information
US EPA Newsroom, 20 December 2007
POPS IDENTIFIED IN
WOOD FLOOR FINISH
According to a US study, a wood floor
finish popularly used throughout the 1950s and 1960s in the US may be a
significant source of the banned substance Polychlorinated Biphenyls
(PCBs). The study examined older woman living in homes with a
PCB-containing wood floor finish, and found very high indoor air, dust
and blood concentrations of PCBs, even 50 years after the floors were
installed. The study cautioned that many buildings, including school
buildings, may still harbor PCB-containing floor finished or other
products. PCBs are being phased out under the Stockholm Convention on
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Like all POPs, they are
bioaccumulative and can damage the immune, reproductive, nervous and
endocrine systems, as well as cause breast cancer.
Link to further information
Environmental News Network, 16 January 2007
CHINA TO UNDERTAKE FIRST NATIONAL POLLUTION SURVEY AND
INCREASE PESTICIDE CONTROL
The Chinese State
Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has announced that the
first nationwide census of pollution sources will begin in February
2008. The survey will identify sources of industrial, agricultural and
residential pollution and also calculate the number of environmental
remediation facilities in operation. Collection of environmental data is
anticipated to take two months and the data will be reviewed and
analyzed in the second half of 2008. In related news, the Chinese
Agricultural Ministry has also announced it will withdraw thousands of
pesticides from the shelves to improve regulation of their sale and use.
Currently, farmers are faced with some 23,000 products sold under 16,000
names, leaving them unclear as to what they are spraying on their crops
and in what quantities. China has struggled to regulate its food
production system in the face of health and safety concerns in its
export markets.
Links to further
information
Environmental News Service, 4 January 2008
Environmental News Network, 19 December 2007
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