120 nations agree to add tributyltin in trade watch list

New York, Nov 4 (PTI) Over 120 countries, party to the
Rotterdam Convention, have agreed to add the pesticide
tributyltin to a global trade "watch list", but were unable to
reach a consensus on the inclusion of chrysotile asbestos and
the pesticide endosulfan in the list.

The conference, during negotiations last week, reaffirmed
that governments have an obligation to use the Convention's
information-sharing mechanism to inform others about their
national decisions on the import and management of hazardous
chemicals.

"Trade comes with rights and responsibilities, and the
discussions this week have shown the strong commitment of many
countries to this spirit of reciprocity," said Bakary Kanté,
Director of the Division of Environmental Law and Conventions,
United Nations Environment Program. U.N.E.P., along with
F.A.O., jointly manages the Convention secretariat.

The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent
(P.I.C.) 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.

"International instruments such as the Rotterdam
Convention are tools to assist countries in sound chemicals
management; they are not an end in themselves but a means to
an end," said James Butler, F.A.O. Deputy Director-General at
the opening of the high-level segment of the meeting.

Under the Convention, exports of chemicals and pesticides
on the P.I.C. 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 should ensure that no exports leave
their territory when an importing country has made the
decision not to accept the chemical or pesticide in question.

"Clearly the chemical footprint of our modern economies
is expanding exponentially today," U.N.E.P. Executive Director
Achim Steiner said.

"The transition towards a greener economy touches upon
the responsibilities that we have as societies, as governments
and as international institutions to look at how the use of
chemicals empowers development and not undermines it,not least
through the impact it has on the health of our societies."

During the conference, many governments expressed serious
concern about the failure to list chrysotile asbestos. The
W.H.O. made a statement reminding participants that chrysotile
is a human carcinogen and 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 percent 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.

Tributyltin (T.B.T.) compounds are pesticides used in
antifouling paints for ship hulls and toxic to fish, molluscs
and other aquatic organisms. The International Maritime
Organization has moved to ban the use of antifouling paints
containing T.B.T. compounds.

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.

Some 70,000 chemicals are available in the market today,
and 1,500 new ones are introduced every year. This poses major
challenge to regulators charged with monitoring and managing
these potentially dangerous substances. PTI D.S.
RKM