Rome - More than 120 countries party to the Rotterdam
Convention on hazardous substances have agreed to add the pesticide
tributyltin to a global trade 'watch list,' a United Nations agency
said Monday.
Tributyltin (TBT) compounds are pesticides used in antifouling
paints for ship hulls and are toxic to fish, molluscs and other
aquatic organisms. The International Maritime Organization has moved
to ban the use of antifouling paints containing TBT compounds.
However, delegates attending a conference in Rome failed to reach
consensus on the inclusion of two other substances - chrysotile
asbestos and the pesticide endosulfan - the Rome-based UN Food and
Agriculture Organization, said.
During the conference, many governments expressed 'serious
concern' about the failure to list chrysotile asbestos, FAO said in a
statement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement reminding
participants that chrysotile is a human carcinogen and that at least
90,000 people die every year of asbestos-related diseases such as
lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer directly linked
to asbestos.
Chrysotile asbestos is the most commonly used form of asbestos,
accounting for around 94 per cent of global asbestos production. It
is widely used in building materials, such as asbestos cement, pipe
and sheet, and in the manufacture of friction products, gaskets and
paper.
Endosulfan is a pesticide widely used around the world,
particularly in cotton production. It is hazardous to the environment
and detrimental to human health, particularly in those countries
where safeguards are not adequate, FAO said.
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC)
Procedure for certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in
International Trade promotes transparency and information sharing
about potential risks to human health and the environment.
Its so-called PIC list currently contains 39 hazardous substances,
including all other forms of asbestos.
Under the Convention, exports of chemicals and pesticides on the
PIC list require the prior informed consent of the importing country.
This gives developing countries in particular the power to decide
which potentially hazardous chemicals they want to receive and to
exclude those they cannot manage safely.
Exporting countries are responsible for ensuring that no exports
leave their territory when an importing country has made the decision
not to accept the chemical or pesticide in question.
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