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Media for COP6

Flame Retardant Banned, Stall on Asbestos and Paraquat

10 May 2013: UN meeting on chemicals moves forward on flame retardant ban, but stalls on asbestos and paraquat

IPEN highlights outcomes from the combined meetings of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions and decisions on chemicals and wastes from more than 120 countries.

Read the press release.


Guatemala and India Block Paraquat Listing

9 May, 2013: Joint Press Release: IPEN / PAN / Berne Declaration/ IUF: Guatemala and India block listing of toxic paraquat formulation in the Rotterdam Convention

Industry representative deceives delegates by speaking on behalf of Guatemalan government. Failure to list will deprive countries of their right to know and to take informed decisions about import.

Read the entire release English / Español


Provisional Agreement to Ban HBCD

3 May, 2013: IPEN / PAN / Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus press release: Governments provisionally agree to ban widely-used toxic chemical at UN meeting.

IPEN congratulates governments for their provisional decision to globally ban production and use of the commonly-used flame retardant, HBCD. This historic consensus decision was made at the meeting of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants by over 100 countries.

“We applaud countries for their decision to ban this chemical and not to allow the recycling of products containing it,” said Dr. Mariann Lloyd-Smith, IPEN senior adviser. “This will prevent materials containing HBCD from being recycled into new products and protect people from contamination that would otherwise cause serious damage to their health.”

Read the entire press release here.


EU Proposes Toxic Recycling

30 April, 2013: IPEN / WECF / CIEL / SSNC / ClientEarth press release: EU proposes toxic recycling at UN meeting.

EU pushes for an exemption to global phase out of a PBT chemical that has adverse effects on the development of the nerve system and mental abilities of children.

Today in Geneva, at the 6th Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention (COP6), the EU proposed exemptions to the ban of a toxic chemical earmarked for global elimination. At issue is Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) – a brominated flame retardant widely used in building insulation, upholstery and electronics in the EU. HBCD is now ubiquitous in the environment globally, and can disrupt the hormone system, with potential adverse effects on the development of the nervous system and mental abilities of children.

Read the entire press release here.