IPEN

For immediate release / Para ser difundido de inmediato

Geneva, 8 May 2015: The EU has pushed dangerous cleanup standards for three toxic flame retardant chemicals widely used in building insulation, upholstery and electronics (HBCD, PentaBDE, and OctaBDE) at a UN meeting of chemicals treaties in Geneva, Switzerland. All three toxic chemicals are listed in the Stockholm Convention for global elimination. They are ubiquitous in the environment globally and can disrupt human hormone systems, creating potential adverse effects on the development of the nervous system and children’s IQ. 

The 12th Conference of the Parties (COP) for the Basel Convention, the 7th COP for the Rotterdam Convention and the 7th COP for the Stockholm Convention convened its first day on Monday, 4 May 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland. Representatives from IPEN Participating Organizations in 25 countries are attending the conference and participating in contact groups, side events, plenary interventions and more. For details about IPEN's work during the meeting, as well as relevant documents and positions, please see our COP7 page. 

On 29 April, an international conference on chemical safety in Kazakhstan will take place in Astana. Organized by IPEN Regional Hub Arnika (Czech Republic), in cooperation with IPEN Participating Organization EcoMuseum Karaganda (Kazakhstan), as well as the European Union and Institute of Chemical Technology Prague, the conference will highlight the results of a 2-year monitoring project that studied environmental pollution in selected hotspots caused by persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals, and its impact on health of local communities.

Some IPEN Participating Organizations from the south, southeast and east Asia regions are currently participating in an IPEN gathering in Jakarta, Indonesia. The gathering provides an opportunity for IPEN Participating Organizations and other local non-governmental, civil society groups with a shared mission of a toxics-free future to build relationships and share skills and experiences.

In addition to group discussions, the gathering will also provide presentations about topics such as:pesticides, dioxin and waste, National Implementation Plans in the Stockholm Convention, lead in paint and other toxic metals and hazardous chemicals in products, mercury use in artisanal and small scale gold mining, electronic waste, endocrine disrupting chemicals, contaminated sites, and more.