Right next to Hortobagy National Park – the oldest and possibly most sensitive national park of Hungary - lies an abandoned toxic waste repository. Three to four thousand tonnes of dangerous chemicals (including trichloroethylene compounds and other chlorinated solvents, galvanic sludge and cyanide-based tempering salts) are flowing out freely from the mouldering barrels of the repository into the ground. The warehouse has no walls and its top is almost completely in ruins.
In February, IPEN participated in the Central Asia and Eastern Europe Sub-Regional Workshop in Support of the Ratification and Early Implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury that took place in Minsk, Belarus. A presentation in Russian was made jointly by Eco-Accord (IPEN Regional Hub for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia), Russia and Center for Environmental Solutions (CES), Belarus.
In a joint study by the Department of Environmental Health in Cincinnati, IPEN, Eco-Accord, ALTER VIDA, and Indy Act, lead concentrations in new enamel decorative paints were determined in three countries in different areas of the world where data were not previously available.
The newsletter features updates from IPEN Participating Organizations on some of their work in the region, including from Arnika – Toxics and Waste Programme (Czech Republic), Center for Environmental Solutions (Belarus), EcoMuseum (Kazakhstan), Eco-Sense (Macedonia), EDEN Centre (Albania), Green Balkans (Bulgaria), and Safer Chemicals Alternative (ALHem) (Serbia).
Newsletters covering additional regions will follow shortly.
IPEN Participating Organizations in the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asian (EECCA) region have prepared an Appeal to governments, MPs and local authorities to stop producing, importing and using highly hazardous pesticides in the region. Highly hazardous pesticides are a huge problem in the region, which was proven by a pioneer study conducted by IPEN and Eco-Accord in seven EECCA countries a few months ago.
IPEN Participating Organization Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment (AWHHE) recently joined with the Eco-Coalition, an environmental alliance of NGOs of Armenia, to send the United Nations Environment Programme a letter asking them to work to influence the Armenian government to reverse the environmentally unsound and dangerous decisions they have made concerning Lake Sevan. The letter was accompanied by a petition (below), which was signed by 100 supporters from more than 35 countries around the world.
In August 2013, IPEN Co-Chair Dr. Olga Speranskaya was interviewed on the Russian national television program "Doctor I" about hazardous chemicals in products, mainly in children's toys.