29 November 2007
Backlash or progress in the Stockholm Convention?
The Review Committee (POPRC-3) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) suggest eight chemicals for global elimination, but the environmental pollutant PFOS may suffer from several exemptions.
The third meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-3) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) was held in Geneva 19-23 November 2007. Eight chemicals were proposed for elimination under Annex A, if the governments endorse the proposal at the Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting in May 2009.
PFOS, a fluorinated environmental pollutant, which the Environmental movement and other actors want banned, failed to get the necessary support from the participating countries to be moved only to Annex A. It is thus unclear weather PFOS will be recommended for elimination (Annex A), or if substantial exemptions proclaimed by the industry will be allowed (Annex B). The participants took a convenient way out of the dilemma and let their governments make a final decision at the so called Conference of the Party meeting in 2009.
PFOS is a persistent and biomagnifying environmental pollutant that interacts with proteins and is suspected to be an endocrine disruptor.
The following substances are proposed for elimination:
Pesticides: the hexachlorocyclohexane isomers alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (alpha HCH), beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta HCH), Lindane and chlordecone.
Industrial chemicals: hexabromobiphenyl (HBB), octabromodiphenyl ether (OctaBDE), pentabromodiphenyl ether (pentaBDE), pentachlorobenzene (PeCB).
The meeting concluded that more information was required to make suggestions for inclusions of endosulfan and short chained chlorinated paraffines, which will be supplemented during the intercessional period until POPRC-4, 13-17 October, 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland.
A more detailed report is found here