Nine substances added to Stockholm Convention
The 4th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants took place in Geneva last week. Nine new substances were incorporated into the Convention, as called for by the delegation of the Czech Presidency.
The Stockholm Convention is concerned with the protection of human health and the environment from the effects of harmful persistent organic pollutants (POPs), i.e. substances which are capable of persisting in the environment for a long time, being transported over long distances and concentrating in living organisms. In the original wording, which came into force five years ago, the Stockholm Convention banned or restricted the use of twelve substances, such as DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls or polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzo-furans (PCDD/PCDF).
A further nine substances were included in the list during the 4th meeting in Geneva:
- Alfa and beta hexachlorocyclohexanes, which were used as insecticides in the past and now appears only as undesirable by-products in the production of lindane.
- Until recently, lindane was used as a pesticide in agriculture for the protection of wood, but also against external parasites in medicine.
- Chlordecone, which was used until 1958 in farming - however, production of chlordecone has been terminated worldwide.
- Commercial octabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether. These flame retardants constitute a group of organic compounds of bromine that retard or stop the combustion of organic substances and are mostly produced as mixtures.
- Hexabromobiphenyl (HBB) is another flame retardant; however, it is no longer commercially produced.
- Pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) was and, in some cases, continues to be used, e.g. as a fungicide or flame retardant. It also appears as an undesirable product in incineration and certain industrial processes.
- Perfluorooctanesulphonate (PFOS) is still being used in electronic components, extinguishing foams, hydraulic fluids and textiles.
Similar to other POPs, these newly-included substances enter the human organism from the environment and, according to their character, cause a number of diseases, such as cancer, damage to hereditary traits, liver and kidney diseases, and damage to the immune system. In accordance with the environmental protection policy and within implementation of European legislation, the Czech Republic has already restricted the use of a number of the aforementioned substances; however, due to their global importance and the possibility of long-distance transport, the Czech Republic considered it essential that they also be included in the list.
The conference also approved a decision on strengthening co-operation between the Stockholm Convention and its sister conventions, which focus on hazardous chemicals and waste, i.e. the Rotterdam Convention and the Basel Convention. The first joint meeting of all three conventions will be held in February 2010, where a decision will be made on further substantive and administrative steps resulting in a uniform approach and effective utilisation of funds and other capacities.
A network of regional centres for capacity building and transfer of technology was approved to strengthen the implementation of the Stockholm Convention. These centres include the Research Centre for Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology (RECETOX) at the Masaryk University in Brno.
“At the 4th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention, the Czech Presidency basically achieved all that it aimed for. I consider this a great success,” commented a member of the Czech Presidency delegation and Deputy Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic, Karel Bláha, on the results of the meeting.
Contact:
- Jakub Kašpar, spokesperson of the Ministry of the Environment, Czech Republic
- tel.: +420 267 122 040, mobile: +420 724 175 927; e-mail: jakub.kaspar@mzp.cz
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:22
