SUBSTITUTION AND
ALTERNATIVES: CASE STUDIES, EXAMPLES AND TOOLS
(IFCS, 2007)
The Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical
Safety (IFCS) has posted a resource profiling case studies from
companies that are crafting healthy strategies for using chemicals and
materials in their products. The website provides examples of how
companies are integrating safer chemicals use into their policies and
the resulting recommendations and lessons. The
resource.
REACH SHOPPERS GUIDE
(WECF, 2007)
Women in Europe for a Common
Future (WECF) has launched a new publication to inform women about their
consumer's rights in the new EU chemicals policy, Registration,
Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances
(REACH). REACH entered into force in June 2007 and companies are obliged
to provide consumers, upon request, information about hazardous
chemicals in the consumer products they are marketing. The
resource.
MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENT NEGOTIATOR'S HANDBOOK
(University of Joensuu, 2007)
Environment Canada, the UN Environment Programme and Joensuu University
(Finland) produced the second edition of this Handbook. Is contains key
technical information and common sense advice for negotiators. The
Handbook.
Chemicals Management: The why and how of mainstreaming gender in
chemicals management
(UNDP, September 2007)
This publication provides a checklist that can serve as a basis for a
multi-stakeholder approach to mainstreaming gender in chemicals
management, while mainstreaming gender considerations at each step of a
national process to develop or strengthen a sound management of
chemicals (SMC) regime. The
guidelines.
BASEL CONVENTION
GUIDELINES ON SHIP DISMANTLING
(Basel Convention, 2007)
The
Secretariat of the Basel Convention has released Hindu, Urdu and Bengali
translations of the Basel Convention Technical Guidelines on the
Environmentally Sound Management of the Full and Partial Dismantling of
Ships. The initiative received support from the governments of the UK
and Netherlands and aims to make the guidelines more accessible for use
in the main ship recycling states. The
resource.
DEVELOPING A
CAPACITY ASSESSMENT FOR THE SOUND MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS AND NATIONAL
SAICM IMPLEMENTATION
(UNITAR, 2007)
This guidance document from
the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is
intended to help document and evaluate existing national capacities in
preparation for national implementation of SAICM. The guidance document
is available in English. French, Spanish and Russian versions are being
prepared. The
document.
DEVELOPING A CAPACITY ASSESSMENT FOR THE
SOUND MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS AND NATIONAL SAICM IMPLEMENTATION
(UNITAR, April 2007)
UNITAR has developed a guidance document with the intention of assisting
countries in preparing a national SAICM capacity assessment. The target
audience includes government ministries and agencies, working together
with stakeholder groups such as industry, labor organizations,
environmental and health NGOs, research and academia, that have an
interest and stake in chemicals. The
resource.
FAO SPECIFICATIONS AND EVALUATIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL
PESTICIDES
(FAO, 2007)
FAO has published specifications for pesticides and their related
formulations based on the recommendations made at the Joint FAO/WHO
Meeting on Pesticide Specifications (JMPS). The chemicals include
Carbaryl, Clofentezine and Pirimphos-Methyl. The
resource.
BASEL
TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
(Basel Convention, 2007)
The Basel Convention's technical
guidelines for the environmentally sound management of wastes consisting
of, containing or contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
polychlorinated terphenyls (PCTs) or polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) are
now available. General technical guidelines for the environmentally
sound management of wastes consisting of, containing or contaminated
with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are also available. For more
information see the
Basel technical guidelines.
UNITAR VIRTUAL CLASSROOM
(UNITAR, 2007)
UNITAR has released additional resources in the Pollution Release and
Transfer Resource (PRTR) Virtual classroom. These include a
Capacity-Building Matrix and Donor Invitation for PRTR Framework
Programme on Capacity Building. The objectives of the Virtual Classroom
are to: facilitate and support information exchange and communication
about national PRTR systems; allow countries to access individuals and
organizations with experience and knowledge on PRTRs; and create a
virtual environment to support PRTR capacity development by using modern
technology. To use these resources individuals must register with UNITAR
http://prtrvc.unitar.org/spip/article.php3?id_article=8 and then
login to
http://prtrvc.unitar.org/spip/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=1.
2006
VITAL WASTE GRAPHICS
2
(GRID-Arendal, December 2006)
GRID-Arendal has released the second edition of "Vital Waste
Graphics," which examines the lifecycle of products and provides data,
text and graphics that shed light on types of waste that are usually
hidden to the consumers. The publication was produced in collaboration
with the Basel Convention Secretariat, with funding from the Basel
Convention Secretariat and UNEP's Division of Environmental Law and
Conventions (DELC). The
resource.
Basel CONVENTION BULLETIN
(Basel Convention Secretariat, November 2006)
The Basel Convention Secretariat has published its quarterly newsletter,
dated November 2006. Topics addressed include: announcements on a new
Ship Dismantling Section on the Basel Convention Secretariat website,
Upcoming events of the Basel Convention, and Status of ratifications. It
also includes information about meetings related to the activities of
the Secretariat, including: the Third Regional Latin American and
Caribbean Training Programme on Environmental Law and Policy; the
Fellowship Programme on International and Comparative Environmental Law
by UNITAR; an NGO Awareness Raising Workshop about the Basel, Stockholm
and Rotterdam Conventions at Basel COP-8; and an Awareness Raising
Project with the International Network for Environmental Compliance and
Enforcement. The
newsletter.
PESTICIDES
GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS AND REPORTS BY OECD
(OECD, October 2006)
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has
recently launched a series of Guidance Documents including: an Overview
of Residue Chemistry Studies, No. 32 in the Series on Pesticides and No.
64 in the Series on Testing and Assessment; a Guidance Document on the
Definition of Residue, No. 31 in the series of pesticides and No. 63 in
the Series of Testing and Assessment. The organization has also
published two additional reports: the "OECD Pesticide Risk Reduction
Steering Group: The Second Risk Reduction Survey" and the "OECD
Pesticide Risk Reduction Steering Group Seminar on Risk Reduction
through Good Pesticide Labeling."
Links to the reports.
IFCS FORUM V FINAL
REPORT
(IFCS, October 2006)
The Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety
(Forum V) was held 25-29 September 2006 in Budapest, Hungary. At Forum V
the IFCS took stock of the progress achieved on the commitments and
recommendations made at previous sessions and charted the course for
work in a number of new areas. Forum V also considered the future role
and function of IFCS as a contribution to the implementation of SAICM.
The Forum V recommendations and agreed action items are presented in the
Executive Summary of the Final Report.
A
PEDIATRICIAN'S GUIDE TO US LEGISLATION AND ADVOCACY ON POPs
(CIEL, October
2006) This resource offers the presentation slides that Daryl Ditz,
Senior Policy Advisor of the Chemicals Division of the Center for
International Environmental Law (CIEL), used in a presentation to the
National Conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The slides
identify the problem of POPs in people and fauna and describe US
legislation on toxic substances. The
resource.
24TH
EUROPEAN CHEMICALS BUREAU NEWSLETTER
(European
Chemicals Bureau, October 2006) This newsletter from the European
Chemicals Bureau (ECB) reports on scientific and technical aspects of
the work carried out and coordinated by the ECB in support of the
European legislation on chemicals control. The
newsletter.
ENDOCRINE DISRUPTER TESTING AND ASSESSMENT
(OECD, 4
October 2006) The Peer review packages for the updated Test Guideline
407, the Hershberger Assay and the Stably Transfected Transcriptional
Activation Assay have been published. The validation of the Test
Guideline 407 Repeat Dose 28-day Oral Toxicity Study has been updated to
possibly detect endocrine disruption effects. Validation studies of the
updated Test Guideline have been performed under the OECD Test
Guidelines Programme. The validation is now being reviewed by an
international panel of reviewers. The peer review package, submitted to
the panel, includes the validation report, the draft and the current
Test Guidelines and a Secretariat document to support the peer review
panel. The
resource.
REACH
ECONOMIC FACTS AND FIGURES: REACHING THE RIGHT CONCLUSIONS
(Friends of the
Earth Europe, September 2006) Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE)
prepared this report on the REACH proposal (Registration, Evaluation and
Authorization of Chemicals). It seeks to demonstrate that it is in the
interest of the European chemicals industry and policymakers to secure a
law that increases competitiveness, encourages innovation and provides
better protection for human health and the environment. The
paper.
MAN-MADE CHEMICALS IN FOOD PRODUCTS
(TNO/WWF,
September 2006) WWF has recently released information on different
issues related to the "Chain of contamination," which includes several
fact sheets and studies on the chemical contamination of food. The
results of the report are placed in a broader context, where the global
chain of contamination involves industrial chemicals that find their way
into the environment, food, wildlife and humans. The
report.
REACH IN BRIEF
(EC, September 2006) The paper from the European Commission aims to
respond to questions related to the implementation of REACH
(Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals).
Questions discussed include why is REACH needed, how will it work; what
are the benefits and costs, what is the state of play, and how will it
be implemented. The
report.
The Commission also recently published an updated Q&A version of the
document with further explanations on the two recently adopted positions
following the political agreement for a Common Position.
More information.
GHS EXPERT ROSTER
(UNITAR,
August 2006) The GHS Roster of Experts is a
database of individuals with expertise related to the Globally
Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. These
experts are available to provide support on training and capacity
building activities in the application of GHS classification, labelling
and safety data sheets in specific sectors and/or geographic regions.
This roster was developed in follow-up to the GHS Action Plan adopted by
IFCS Forum IV in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2003 by UNITAR/ILO, as
the focal point for capacity building in the UN Subcommittee of Experts
for the GHS, and in collaboration with the Subcommittee.
More information.
DOCUMENTS FOR THE SECOND MEETING OF THE PERSISTENT
ORGANIC POLLUTANTS REVIEW COMMITTEE (POPRC)
(Stockholm Convention Secretariat, 3 August 2006) The Secretariat of the
Stockholm Convention has recently posted the announcement, documents and
meeting agenda for the Second Meeting of the POPRC. Additional documents
will be made available in the upcoming months.
More information.
REQUEST FOR COMMENTS: 2nd Draft on
regional strategy for the esm of use lead acid batteries
(Basel Convention Secretariat, 4
August 2006) The Secretariat of the Basel Convention has recently posted
a request for comments on the 2nd draft on Regional Strategy
for the ESM of Used Lead Acid Batteries in central America, Colombia,
Venezuela and the Caribbean Island States from parties involved in the
project. The deadline for submitting comments ins 8 September 2006 and
these should be sent to
michael.vanderpol@unep.ch.
Basel Convention
Announcement.
Reference document.
DDT AND MALARIA: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
(Pesticide Action Network North America, July 2006) The Pesticide Action
Network North America (PANNA) has recently released a DDT Fact sheet and
a compilation of selected articles related to the use of DDT pesticide
to control malaria. The
articles.
The
DDT fact sheet.
HEALTHY BUSINESS STRATEGIES
(Clean Production Action, July 2006) This report by the non-profit group
Clean Production Action seeks to demonstrate how companies can thrive
while valuing human health and the environment. It provides the reader
with six business case studies that show how companies can create value
by taking into account human health and environment into their products.
Steps include eliminating toxics, making innovative products, creating
new partnerships and supporting policy reform. The
report.
NEW CHEMICALS: MANUAL OF DECISIONS (UPDATED)
(ECB,
July 2006) The European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) has published an updated
version of the Manual of Decisions. The manual is a reference of
supplementary convention and expert interpretation established between
the European Commission and the competent authorities. The scope of the
publication ranges from general guidance to specific queries. Content is
updated periodically. The
manual.
TECHNICAL GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS (EU CHEMICALS
LEGISLATION: REACH)
(European Chemicals Bureau, June
2006) ECB has published several technical guidance documents relating to
chemicals management and the EU's REACH legislations. These include:
Technical Guidelines on carrying out a Socio-Economic Analysis,
Technical
Guidelines on data sharing,
and
Technical Guidelines on requirements for substances.
NEW AND REVISED GUIDELINES FOR THE TESTING OF
CHEMICALS
(OECD, 5 July 2006) The OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals are
a collection of test methods used by government, industry and
independent laboratories to determine the safety of chemicals and
chemical preparations, including pesticides and industrial chemicals.
They cover tests for the physical-chemical properties of chemicals,
human health effects, environmental effects, and degradation and
accumulation in the environment. The 16th Addendum to the Guidelines
consists of four new and two revised Test Guidelines and a revised
Introduction to Section 3. The
document.
REACH IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT: TECHNICAL GUIDANCE
DOCUMENT
(European Chemicals Bureau (ECB), June 2006) The final report of REACH
Implementation Projects 4.4: Technical Guidance Document on the
preparation of an Annex XIV dossier, is now available on the ECB
Website. A form to comment on this document is also available. The
report is intended to provide draft technical guidance to the Member
States and the European Chemicals Agency in production of Annex XIV
dossiers, concerning the registration, evaluation, authorization and
restriction of chemicals (the REACH Regulation). The
document.
SAICM: QUICK START PROGRAMME TRUST FUND
The
Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)
Secretariat has opened up applications for funding from the Trust Fund
for developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
Proposals may be presented by SAICM participating governments that have
given appropriate formal recognition to SAICM. The first round of
applications will close on 18 August 2006 and the second one will follow
six months later. The
announcement and application guidelines (in English, French and Spanish).
IFCS: DOCUMENTS FOR FORUM V
The Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) has recently
published documents for its upcoming "Forum V: Chemical Safety for
Sustainable Development", to be held in Budapest, Hungary, 21-26
September, 2006. The
documents.
POLLUTANT RELEASE AND TRANSFER REGISTERS (PRTR)
DATABASE
(OECD, 23 June 2006) This database was developed by the Task Force on
PRTRs, which is part of the OECD's Environment, Health and Safety
Programme. Japan served as a lead country in its development. The
purpose of this database is to share PRTR data as widely as possible
within the OECD area, consistent with the OECD Council Recommendation
C(96)41/Final, as amended by C(2003)87. The data is compiled on a
national or regional level. The database does not include data of
individual sites or facilities. The database will be updated on a
regular basis. More
information.
POLLUTANT RELEASE AND TRANSFER REGISTERS (PRTR)
DATABASE
(OECD, 23 June 2006) This database was developed by the Task Force on
PRTRs, which is part of the OECD's Environment, Health and Safety
Programme. Japan served as a lead country in its development. The
purpose of this database is to share PRTR data as widely as possible
within the OECD area, consistent with the OECD Council Recommendation
C(96)41/Final, as amended by C(2003)87. The data is compiled on a
national or regional level. The database does not include data of
individual sites or facilities. The database will be updated on a
regular basis. More
information.
POSITION PAPER OF THE WORKING GROUP ON GOOD
LABORATORY PRACTICES: "OUTSOURCING" OF INSPECTION FUNCIONS BY GLP
COMPLIANCE MONITORING AUTHORITIES
(OECD, 15 June 2006) This document was endorsed by the Working Group on
Good Laboratory Practice at its 20th Meeting on 4 April 2006 and
declassified by the Joint Meeting on 10 June 2006. It reiterates the
decisions and the recommendations related to the role and
responsibilities of governments, national GLP compliance monitoring
authorities and inspectors as set out in the 1989 Council
Decision-Recommendation on Compliance with Good Laboratory Practice
[C(89)87(Final) and its Annexes, as concerns outsourcing of inspection
functions. More
information.
BASEL CONVENTION SECRETARIAT REQUESTS COMMENTS
In
reference to Article 17(5) of the Convention and decision III/1, the
President of the Bureau of the Seventh Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties transmitted a communication to all members of the Expanded
Bureau, requesting them to facilitate regional consultations on the
interpretation of article 17(5) of the Convention on entry into force of
amendments, and on the implementation of decision III/1 adopted by the
third meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Parties are invited to
communicate comments and views on this issue to representatives of the
Expanded Bureau for their region, and are encouraged to exchange views
amongst each other. For further information, please contact the
Secretariat at
LegalSBC@unep.ch .
More information.
BASEL CONVENTION: PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR COP-8
& REPORT OF THE OEWG-5
The
Secretariat has posted an advanced copy of provisional agenda for COP-8,
the final document will be posted shortly. The
agenda.
The
report for the Fifth Session of the Open Ended Working Group has
been published in each of the six official languages of the convention.
STOCKHOLM CONVENTION: INSTRUCTIONS FOR
PARTIES TO REPORT ON DDT PRODUCTION AND USE
The Modules for Sections of the DDT questionnaire and the accompanying
guidance documents pertain to the reporting on DDT by Parties that
produce and/or use DDT. All Parties are encouraged to complete the
relevant Sections of the electronic questionnaire. Questions can be
addressed to the Secretariat:
ssc@pops.int. All documents are posted
here.
STOCKHOLM CONVENTION: COP-2 FOLLOW-UP REPORT
A
follow-up document to the decisions taken by the Conference of the
Parties on the Stockholm Convention at its second meeting has been
posted in English and Spanish (French will be made available shortly).
The
documents.
STOCKHOLM CONVENTION COP-2 REPORT; UPDATED LIST OF COUNTRY NIPS
(Stockholm Secretariat, May 2006) The Stockholm Convention Secretariat
has published the English version of the official Report of the
Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants on the work of its second meeting:
http://www.pops.int/documents/meetings/cop_2/report/default.htm.
The Secretariat has also
recently uploaded the latest submissions on "National Implementation
Plans pursuant to Article 7 (b) of the Stockholm Convention." The latest
additions have been: Canada (17 May 2006), Lebanon (17 May 2006),
Finland (17 May 2006), Sweden (23 May 2006), Cote d'Ivoire (24 May
2006), Chile (30 May 2006), Netherlands (30 May 2006), and Uruguay (1
June 2006):
http://www.pops.int/documents/implementation/nips/submissions/default.htm
ROTTERDAM CONVENTION'S HARMONIZED SYSTEM CODES
(Rotterdam
Secretariat, May 2006) The Rotterdam Convention Secretariat has
recently posted the harmonized system codes assigned to chemicals in
Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention. The World Customs Organization in
June 2004 adopted amendments to the Harmonized System (HS) nomenclature
and has assigned specific HS codes to the individual chemicals or groups
of chemicals listed in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention. These
amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2007. The accuracy of this
information has now been verified by the World Customs Organization.
More information.
SAICM NEWSLETTER, JUNE 2006
(SAICM,
June 2006) The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management
has released its second newsletter. The publication reviews the outcomes
of the International Conference on Chemicals Management, held in Dubai
from 2-4 February 2006; and updates the reader on the work of the SAICM
Secretariat. The
newsletter.
NANOMATERIALS, SUNSCREENS AND COSMETICS: SMALL INGREDIENTS, BIG RISKS
(FOE, May 2006) Friends of the Earth has launched a new report which
details the nanomaterials found in common cosmetics products. The report
also outlines the known risks of nanotechnology to workers, consumers
and the environment. Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of
materials and the creation of structures and systems that exist at the
scale of atoms and molecules.
More
information. The
report.
If you
would like to submit details of
recently published documents and online resources,
send a message to
Diego Noguera, IISD
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