Heavy Metals Working Group:

IPEN Heavy Metals Working Group (HMWG):

IPEN has launched the IPEN Heavy Metals Working Group (HMWG). The HMWG will initially focus on follow-up on:

1. International Projects: Follow-up to Lead & Mercury Sampling

Lead in Paint- The final report is with the design/printing shop, and should be finalized shortly. IPENers who participated in this sampling activity have begun to outline a possible global launch and coordinated global day of action/media release for late August (marking the 7 year anniversary of World Summit for Sustainable Development, which highlights the toxic lead issue).

Mercury in Products Survey - This activity was implemented by ARNIKA, who has also submitted the final report text to the donors/partners, a German Agency (GRS). Unfortunately, GRS has not approved the final report; therefore IPEN can not release the data yet. This is overdue, and we hope to soon get the final GRS approval to release it, and coordinate awareness-raising activities related to mercury and the upcoming treaty talks.

2. International Policy: Mercury Treaty

The international community will meet at the 3rd Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) in Bangkok, Thailand (the 19-23rd of October). This meeting is in preparation for Mercury Treaty's Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC).

For information about this UNEP-organized process, see: http://www.chem.unep.ch/mercury/WGprep.1/Meeting.htm

Contact: ipen@ipen.org.

Eliminating Lead in Paint:

Lead is a heavy metal with known impacts on health, especially on children's health. Unfortunately, even though there is wide recognition of this problem, which led to a number of bans of lead in paint across North America and Western Europe over the past 70 years, even today paints are sold with added lead in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. This is an avoidable problem, and one with well known and tested safer commercial substitutes.

To investigate the problem globally, IPEN partnered with the Indian NGO Toxics Link in 2008 to test paint for lead in local markets in countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The results confirmed that lead in paint is still being produced and sold, exposing children and communities to this toxic substance.

In parallel, the international community has taken action to build on this NGO initiative. IPEN proposed a Global Partnership to eliminate lead from paint to Forum VI of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) in September 2008. IFCS, through a resolution passed at Forum VI, and the SAICM Emerging Issues Policy process, has endorsed this NGO initiative. Moreover, this issue is one of the four SAICM Emerging Issues set for discussion and cooperative action at ICCM2.

During this process, governments, the private sector, health groups, and other international agencies have joined IPEN and Toxics Link to endorse and confirm the need for a Global Partnership to eliminate lead from paint, which we hope will form at the Second International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM2).

ICCM2 IPEN-Toxics Link Side Event On May 11th, at ICCM2 IPEN and Toxics Link are hosting a Side Event "Eliminating Lead in Paint: a Partnership for Health" that convene a multi-sectoral panel of speakers and present information on:
1- The Problem: The extent of Lead in Paint Globally (by Public Interest & Health Sector)
2 - Solutions: Safer Alternatives on the Market & Industries' Goals (by Paint Industry)
3 - Moving ahead: Making the Global Partnership Succeed (by SAICM Stakeholders)
Questions & Answer: After the panel presentation a question and answer session will follow.

For more information:
See IPEN-Toxics Link submission to IFCS http://www.who.int/ifcs/documents/forums/forum6/meet_docs/en/index.html

IFCS Forum VI Dakar Declaration noting Action on Lead in Paint http://www.who.int/ifcs/documents/standingcommittee/working_groups/post_f6/en/index.html

See ICCM2, SAICM Emerging Issues information on Lead in Paint http://www.saicm.org/index.php?menuid=9&pageid=344&submenuheader=

International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN)

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Health concerns over contaminated fish trigger international decision
World governments decide to pursue a global mercury treaty

[Nairobi, Kenya 20 February 2009] - After raising concerns for years about mercury contamination of fish, IPEN NGOs in developing and transition countries welcomed the international agreement to finally take action.

"Fish is a vital protein source for many of the world's peoples and its global contamination with mercury requires urgent coordinated action," said Professor Jamidu Katima, IPEN Co-Chair based in Tanzania.

More than 140 countries decided to pursue a global treaty on mercury at the 25th United Nations Environment Programme Governing Council meeting. The decision noted the urgent need for international action due to "the serious adverse effects of mercury on human health and the environment." Negotiations will start later this year.

"After many years of delay, the world community has finally committed to take global action," said Prashant Pastore of Toxics Link. "Public interest NGOs will actively participate in the negotiations to push for a comprehensive agreement that addresses all aspects of mercury pollution."

The decision calls for a treaty that will reduce mercury emissions, supply and trade; its use in products and processes; and one that addresses wastes and contaminated sites. The decision also notes the need for capacity building and financial and technical assistance in developing and transition countries.

"Developing and transition countries will need adequate new and additional resources to identify their mercury problems and make a plan to deal with them," said Jindrich Petrlik of Arnika Association.

The African, Latin American and Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, regions all supported a treaty along with the EU and many Asia - Pacific countries. After many years of opposition, China, India, and the USA shifted their positions to support a legally binding instrument at the meeting.

"These countries can now join the world community in developing global measures to reduce and eliminate mercury," said Professor Jamidu Katima, IPEN Co-Chair based in Tanzania.

Final draft text: UNEP Governing Council Decision 25/X Chemicals management including mercury http://www.eeb.org/activities/chemicals/Chemicals_management_including_mercury- COWdraft190209.pdf

Contact:
Jamidu Katima, IPEN Co-chair, AGENDA, Tanzania + 255 2410 024
Prashant Pastore, Toxics Link, India +91-11-24328006, 24320711
Jindrich Petrlik, Arnika Association, Czech Republic +420 (603) 582 984
Bjorn Beeler, IPEN International Coordinator, USA +1-510-704-1962

The International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) is a global network of more than 600 public interest non-governmental organizations working together for the elimination of persistent organic pollutants, on an expedited yet socially equitable basis. This mission includes achieving a world in which all chemicals are produced and used in ways that eliminate significant adverse effects on human health and the environment, and where persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and chemicals of equivalent concern no longer pollute our local and global environments, and no longer contaminate our communities, our food, our bodies, or the bodies of our children and future generations.

[Nairobi, 10 October 2008] Public interest advocates¹ welcomed the results of a global meeting convened to take decisions on the threats posed by mercury to human health and the environment. On 6-10 October 2008, the 2nd UNEP² Open Ended Working Group (OEWG2) on Mercury, completed its work, in preparation for the UNEP Governing Council (GC) in February 2009, where it will be decided whether a global legally binding instrument on mercury will be developed.

"An overwhelming majority of the more than 90 governments attending the meeting supported a free standing legally binding instrument , said Elena Lymberidi - Settimo, from the Zero Mercury Working Group"."Now it is time for the GC to finish the work that it started and begin actions to establish a global treaty on mercury. Only through a treaty will we see sufficient reductions in global mercury emissions, supply and demand."

The UNEP GC had given the mandate to the OEWG to review and assess options for enhanced voluntary measures and new or existing international legal instruments. The OEWG2 completed its work, and will send a report to the GC including:
- A comprehensive set of elements, agreed to by a broad consensus, to be part of a global framework
- Two options for global frameworks on mercury - a legal and a voluntary one.
- The legal option endorses a new free-standing instrument.

"The outcome of the OEWG has helped shape future global action," said Richard Gutierrez, of the Philippine NGO, Ban Toxics. "We are optimistic that the global community is well on its way towards establishing a treaty to control mercury pollution and effectively safeguard the fish we eat from this poison."

For further information:
Elena Lymberidi-Settimo, Project Coordinator, Zero Mercury Campaign, European Environmental
Bureau: www.zeromercury.org, www.eeb.org; elena.lymberidi@eeb.org; Tel: +32 2 2891301; Mobile: +32 496 532 818

 

_{¹ Environmental NGOS include The European Environmental Bureau, (EEB), www.eeb.org, is a federation of over 140 environmental citizens' organisations based in all EU Member States as well as in neighbouring countries. These organisations range from local and national, to European and international. The aim of the EEB is to protect and improve the environment of Europe and to enable the citizens of Europe to play their part in achieving that goal. The Zero Mercury Working Group, www.zeromercury.org, is an international coalition of over 60 public-interest non-governmental organisations worldwide formed in 2005 by the European Environmental Bureau and the Mercury Policy Project/Ban Mercury Working Group. The group's aim is to reach "Zero emissions, demand and supply of mercury, from all sources we can control, towards eliminating mercury in the environment at EU level and globally." International POPs Eliminations Network (IPEN), www.ipen.org, is a global network of health and environmental organizations in more than 80 countries working together for a Toxics-Free Future. ² United Nations Environment Programme}

Medscape Clinical Reference:

eMedicine Specialties > Emergency Medicine > Toxicology Toxicity, Heavy Metals

Author: Samara Soghoian, MD, Medical Toxicology Fellow, Bellevue Hospital Center, New York University School of Medicine Coauthor(s): Richard Sinert, DO, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Research Director, State University of New York College of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kings County Hospital Center eMedicine

  Version: September 2009