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P A N U P S
Pesticide Action Network Updates Service
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PIC Lists 14 New Chemicals
September 27, 2004
The 74 countries that signed and ratified the Rotterdam Convention
on Prior Informed Consent (PIC treaty) added 14 of 15 proposed
new chemicals to the treaty's international "watch"
list. An early warning system for sharing information on banned
and severely restricted pesticides and other chemicals, the PIC
treaty held its first official Conference of Parties on September
20th in Geneva. The meeting was marred by controversy when Canada
and Russia blocked the chrysotile form of asbestos from being
added to the list.
Canada is one of the world's top producers of chrysotile asbestos,
or "white asbestos" and exports nearly all of its production.
Four other carcinogenic forms of asbestos, including blue and
brown asbestos have already been added to the PIC list. "PIC
is particularly valuable for developing countries, and it is frustrating
to see the goal of information sharing to protect public health
being undermined by the commercial interests of a handful of nations.
This kind of information will help governments evaluate the risks
to their workers and citizens, and it could help save lives,"
said Barbara Dinham of Pesticide Action Network UK, who attended
the Geneva meeting.
Under the PIC treaty, which came into force in February of this
year, a chemical that has been banned or severely restricted in
two regions of the world is considered for addition to the Prior
Informed Consent list. When a chemical is listed, all countries
who are Parties must indicate whether they consent to, or prohibit,
the import. These decisions are circulated every six months, and
exporting countries must ensure their exporters comply. The treaty
also requires countries to notify importers of any exports of
pesticides or other chemicals that they have banned or severely
restricted. This notification must take place before the first
export of each year.
The PIC treaty has been voluntarily implemented by many nations
since 1998, and has long been a priority of the global Pesticide
Action Network and other groups concerned with "chemical
dumping" or routine, profit-driven export of chemicals from
nations that have banned or restricted them nationally to protect
human and environment health. "The Rotterdam Convention will
provide a first line of defense for human health and the environment
against the potential dangers of hazardous chemicals and pesticides,"
said Klaus Topfer, of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP).
Before the September 20th meeting, 22 of the hazardous chemicals
on the PIC list were pesticides. Of the 14 added to the list,
nine are pesticides, including the insecticides monocrotophos,
parathion, and toxaphene. The additions also include a number
of specific severely hazardous pesticide formulations that cause
problems under the conditions of use in developing countries.
A UNEP statement for the Conference of Parties points out that
only 25% of global pesticide use takes place in developing countries,
yet a staggering 99% of acute pesticide-related fatalities occur
there. Farmers and their families are especially vulnerable to
pesticide related illness in many developing countries because
protective clothing and equipment for handling pesticides is frequently
unavailable or impractical.
The PIC treaty was carefully designed to ensure governments receive
critical information and notification prior to export, and does
not otherwise restrict or ban chemicals. In contrast, the Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which also came into
force this year, does target a set of chemicals meeting specific
criteria for global elimination. UNEP officials emphasize that
70,000 chemicals are now in world trade, with 1,500 being added
each year.
While incorporation of new chemicals under either treaty is expected
to be controversial, "This [PIC] treaty is not about bans,"
said Carl Smith, of the Foundation for Advancements in Science
and Education. "What it's about is information exchange."
He added, "if we can't even meet the standard of information
exchange, we're in trouble."
Note: The Rotterdam Convention's initial list of Prior Informed
Consent includes the following 22 hazardous pesticides: 2,4,5-T,
aldrin, captafol, chlordane, chlordimeform, chlorobenzilate, DDT,
1,2-dibromoethane (EDB), dieldrin, dinoseb and dinoseb salts,
fluoroacetamide, HCH (mixed isomers), heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene,
lindane, mercury compounds, and pentachlorophenol, plus certain
formulations of methamidophos, methyl-parathion, monocrotophos,
parathion, and phosphamidon. Five industrial chemicals on the
list are: asbestos (crocidolite, actinolite, anthophyllite, amosite,
tremolite), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCB), polychlorinated terphenyls (PCT) and tris (2,3 dibromopropyl)
phosphate. The 14 new chemicals to be added are the pesticides:
binapacryl, toxaphene, ethylene dichloride, ethylene oxide, DNOC
and its salts, and monocrotophos and parathon (certain formulations
of these latter two were included but are now fully covered) and
dustable powder formulations containing a combination of benomyl
at or above 7 per cent, carbofuran at or above 10 per cent and
thiram at or above 15 per cent. Other chemicals added are the
additional forms of asbestos -- actinolite anthophyllite, amosite,
tremolite, and tetraethyl and tetramethyl lead. The PIC Rotterdam
Convention, website is http://www.pic.int.
Sources: Press Release, September 16, 2004, UNEP and FAO, http://www.pic.int
; PANUPS, Nov 26, 2003; Reuters, Washington, DC, September 20,
2004; Agence France Presse, Rome, September 20, 2004; Toronto
Star, September 21, 2004.
Contact: PANNA or PAN UK, phone 011 44 20 7274 8895, email pan-uk@pan-uk.org
Web site http://www.pan-uk.org.
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working to advance sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide.
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