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EGG NEWS
 Press Release Philippines StarChicken eggs from Cavite b’gay have high levels of toxins By Katherine Adraneda The Philippine Star 04/22/2005 Bad eggs. This appeared to be the case of chicken eggs from a barangay in Trece Martirez, Cavite after a study found them with high levels of toxins dangerous to human health. The Ecological Waste Coalition (EcoWaste Coalition) released the report on the toxicity of chicken eggs from Barangay Aguado yesterday in time for the celebration of World Earth Day today. The coalition did so to call the attention of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to the immediate implementation of the treaty ratified during the Stockholm Convention in February 2004 on the elimination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). According to the study, chicken eggs collected from Barangay Aguado had levels of dioxins exceeding the European Union (EU) limit by more than three-fold. The chicken eggs were also found to have high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). According to the study, the measured level of dioxin in eggs collected from the community was 9.68 pictogram per gram of fat (pg/g), and the level of PCBs, 3.20 pg/g of fat. These compared to the limits of 3 pg/g for dioxin, and 2 pg/g for PCBs. The coalition said the levels of seven PCB congeners in the eggs did not exceed regulatory limits, but were the seventh highest observed among the 20 samples analyzed in the International POPs Elimination Network’s (IPEN) global biomonitoring project covering 18 countries. The eggs were also analyzed for some brominated flame retardants and chemicals resembling PCBs that are strong candidates for addition to the Stockholm Convention treaty. The study said the chicken eggs from Barangay Aguado had high levels of these compounds, although the eggs were observed to have low hexachlorobenzene (HCB). The free-range chicken eggs were collected from three sites near the medical waste incinerator in Barangay Aguado on Jan. 24, 2004. Six eggs were collected within a .5-kilometer distance from the controversial thermal oxidizer plant operated by the Integrated Waste Management Inc. These eggs were brought to the Czech Republic for laboratory tests. The IWMI incinerator is a "pyrolytic waste oxidizer" from Canada-based EcoWaste Solutions Inc., which has a capacity of 10 tons per day. It treats biomedical wastes from hospitals in Metro Manila. It also accepts and burns illegal drugs such as amphetamines seized by the government. The EcoWaste Coalition said this study represents the first data about "unintentional POPs" in chicken eggs from the Philippines. "Comparing the dioxin congener pattern from eggs collected in Barangay Aguado with data measured from different kinds of sources from other countries indicates that medical waste incineration (including fly ash and air releases) is the likely source of the dioxins found in the eggs," the study said. Aguado is a community of 3,756 people, with a total land area of about 2.36 hectares. Many of its 800 households are informal settlers. 
INQ7 Interactive PhilippinesApril 22, 2005 This story was taken from www.inq7.net http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=34551 Dioxins found in chicken eggs near Cavite waste plant Posted 07:58am (Mla time) April 22, 2005 By Blanche Rivera Inquirer News Service CHICKEN eggs gathered in a barangay in Cavite province where an incinerator plant is operating have been found to contain dioxin, "the most toxic chemical known to science," the EcoWaste Coalition said yesterday. EcoWaste released the results of tests conducted by a laboratory in the Czech Republic on six eggs from free-range hens in Barangay Aguado in Trece Martires, Cavite. The tests showed that the eggs had "alarming levels" not only of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) but also of dioxin, an unintended by-product of combustion, which is known to cause cancer in humans. "Eggs must contain zero ... toxic contaminants, especially dioxins that can lead to cancers and other adverse health effects even at very low levels of exposure," said EcoWaste's Eileen Sison. The six eggs, which were gathered in January last year from within 500 meters of the Integrated Waste Management Inc. (IWMI) incinerator plant in Aguado, were found to have three times the level of dioxin accepted by European standards, the coalition said. The eggs had 9.68 pictograms of dioxin per gram of fat, compared to the acceptable level of 3 pg/g of fat. They also had 3.30 pg of PCB per gram of fat, slightly higher than the maximum acceptable level of 2.0 pg/g of fat. The tests were part of a global egg sampling project to determine the extent of the toxic contamination of chicken eggs collected from 18 countries. The results are to be presented in Uruguay next month, when the 18 countries that ratified the Stockholm Convention meet again to discuss initiatives in reducing persistent organic pollutants. Most obvious source The dioxin content of the eggs from the Philippines was higher than that in the eggs collected from a hazardous waste incinerator in the Czech Republic and a site near a polyvinylchloride plant in Mossville in the United States. "The most obvious potential waste source ... in the community is the incineration plant that burns medical waste," EcoWaste said. The Environmental Management Bureau, which received a copy of the test results yesterday, said it would investigate whether the high toxic content of the eggs in Aguado could be traced to the incinerator. According to EMB director Julian Amador, dioxins are also often released through open burning, which is practiced by many households in the Philippines. "We have to check first if the incinerator is really the cause of the toxins because open burning is also a source of dioxins," Amador said. Court case Organizations against waste and pollution have demanded that the incinerator in Aguado be shut down, but the government has to "be careful" because of a pending court case, Amador said. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in fact ordered the closure of the incinerator last year. However, the IWMI managed to secure a temporary restraining order. It also filed a case seeking P4.5 million in damages from the DENR for trying to stop its operations.
BusinessWorldApril 22, 2005 Contaminated eggs Experts at a Czech laboratory have found out that chicken eggs collected near a medical waste incinerator in Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires, Cavite - owned by the Integrated Waste Management, Inc. - are contaminated with dioxins. Axys Varilab, a Czech laboratory whose services are widely used by the Czech government and industries, analyzed the eggs and found out that these contained high levels of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Dioxins and PCBs may induce cancer.
Philippine Daily InquirerApril 22, 2005 DIOXINS FOUND IN CHICKEN EGGS NEAR CAVITE WASTE PLANT Blanche S. Rivera CHICKEN eggs gathered in a barangay in Cavite province where an incinerator plant is operating have been found to contain dioxin, "the most toxic chemical known to science," the EcoWaste Coalition said yesterday. EcoWaste released the results of tests conducted by a laboratory in the Czech Republic on six eggs from free-range hens in Barangay Aguado in Trece Martires, Cavite. The tests showed that the eggs had "alarming levels" not only of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) but also of dioxin, an unintended by-product of combustion, which is known to cause cancer in humans. "Eggs must contain zero ... toxic contaminants, especially dioxins that can lead to cancers and other adverse health effects even at very low levels of exposure," said EcoWaste's Eileen Sison. The six eggs, which were gathered in January last year from within 500 meters of the Integrated Waste Management Inc. (IWMI) incinerator plant in Aguado, were found to have three times the level of dioxin accepted by European standards, the coalition said. The eggs had 9.68 pictograms of dioxin per gram of fat, compared to the acceptable level of 3 pg/g of fat. They also had 3.30 pg of PCB per gram of fat, slightly higher than the maximum acceptable level of 2.0 pg/g of fat. The tests were part of a global egg sampling project to determine the extent of the toxic contamination of chicken eggs collected from 18 countries. The results are to be presented in Uruguay next month, when the 18 countries that ratified the Stockholm Convention meet again to discuss initiatives in reducing persistent organic pollutants. Most obvious source The dioxin content of the eggs from the Philippines was higher than that in the eggs collected from a hazardous waste incinerator in the Czech Republic and a site near a polyvinylchloride plant in Mossville in the United States. "The most obvious potential waste source ... in the community is the incineration plant that burns medical waste," EcoWaste said. The Environmental Management Bureau, which received a copy of the test results yesterday, said it would investigate whether the high toxic content of the eggs in Aguado could be traced to the incinerator. According to EMB director Julian Amador, dioxins are also often released through open burning, which is practiced by many households in the Philippines. "We have to check first if the incinerator is really the cause of the toxins because open burning is also a source of dioxins," Amador said. Court case Organizations against waste and pollution have demanded that the incinerator in Aguado be shut down, but the government has to "be careful" because of a pending court case, Amador said. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in fact ordered the closure of the incinerator last year. However, the IWMI managed to secure a temporary restraining order. It also filed a case seeking P4.5 million in damages from the DENR for trying to stop its operations.
The Times of IndiaApril 6, 2005 AFTER COLAS, NOW FEAR OF TOXIC EGGS NEW DELHI: How safe are the eggs we eat? A NGO study has found dioxin levels as high as five-and-a-half times the European Union limits in egg samples collected from near a medical waste incinerator in Lucknow. These levels are among the highest found in samples from 20 countries. Dioxins, which can have serious health impacts, are described as among the most potent toxic chemicals known. They are among the 12 chemicals classified as POPs - persistent organic pollutants. POPs travel far and wide, resisting natural breakdown processes, and climbing the food chain until they reach humans, where they build up in fatty tissues. The data was released on Monday by Delhi-based NGO Toxics Link, which coordinated the study in India as part of a worldwide campaign. Ravi Agarwal of Toxics Link says chicken eggs from 20 countries across five continents were examined. In India, egg samples collected from near the Queen Mary's Hospital medical waste incinerator in Lucknow were tested in a Czech laboratory. Dioxins can cause serious health problems, even in small doses - acting as a powerful hormone-disrupting chemical, modifying the functioning and genetic mechanism of the cell, causing a wide range of effects from cancer and reduced immunity to nervous system disorders, miscarriages and birth deformity. Agarwal says medical waste incinerators, among the highest sources of dioxins, are mushrooming in India despite safer alternatives available locally. The study sought to explore whether chicken eggs might contain unintentional POPs if collected near potential sources. The Queen Mary's Hospital neighbourhood was chosen since medical waste incinerators are known to produce dioxins.
Indian ExpressApril 5, 2005 ROTTEN EGGS: TOXIC LINK IN MEDICAL WASTE A survey by the NGO Toxic Link has found that egg samples collected from near a medical waste incinerator contained over five times dioxin limits permissible by European Union standards. Dioxin, a potent toxic chemical and one of the 12 chemicals classified as Persistant Organic Pollutants (POPs), is a by-prouct of any incineration of toxic and urban waste that contains chlorinated plastic. Dioxins are considered to be carcinogenic, according to the US environment protection agency. They also cause a host of other health problems from reduced immunity to nervous system disorders to even gene disorders. The NGO coordinated the study in India as part of a worldwide campaign by the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN). Eggs from a total of 20 countries accross five continents were also examined. In comparison to other countries, the Indian samples (of six eggs) were found to have almost five and a half times more dioxins in the samples collected from Belarus, Czech Republic, two times higher than those observed in samples from Slovakia. The egg samples from the other countries were from near municipal waste incinerators and chemical plants. The aim of the study was to see if free-range chicken eggs might contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs), said the NGO. "We have never looked at dioxins as they are an unintended byproduct. And also dioxin monitoring is very expensive. The results of the study are a wake up call to please do something about this and acknowledge that there is a problem'' said Ravi Aggarwal of Toxics links. In India the eggs were collected from the neighbourhood of Lucknow's Queen Mary's Hospital where there is a medical waste incinerator. Incinerators are known to produce dioxins and eggs were chosen because they are a common food item and POPs are stored in the fatty areas, the NGO said. The egg samples were tested in a Czech laboratory, Axys Varilab, which is counted among the three laboratories worldwide that have met with the World Health Organisation criteria for testing of dioxins. The Stockholm Convention came into force last May and it looks at reducing and eliminating POPs. India is a signatory but hasn't ratified it. The NGO said that there is a need for India to ratify it now. The NGO also criticised the mushrooming medical incinerators, which are among the highest sources of dioxins worldwide.
webindia123http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=75800&n_date=20050405&cat=Health Improper waste incineration poisoning food chain: study:- New Delhi | April 05, 2005 5:16:32 PM IST New Delhi, April 4 : A global study has warned that improper burning of garbage can lead to cancer-causing dioxins entering the food chain even as the Delhi government considers setting up incinerators to tackle the city's mounting toxic waste. The study released here Monday by NGO Toxics Link has warned that shortcomings in waste management policies can lead to dioxins contaminating not just eggs, milk and other animal products but even mother's milk. The study was initiated by the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) to find out if free-range chicken eggs contained persistent organic pollutants (POPs). It showed five and a half times higher dioxin level in egg samples collected from areas near the medical waste incinerator of Queen Mary's hospital in Lucknow. Pratibha Singh of Toxics Link said that eight of the 20 reports released showed that egg samples collected in India and tested in WHO-accredited Czech Axys Varilab had the second highest levels of dioxins, a potent cancer causing agent. A little exposure to dioxins can have a deep impact on pregnant women or lactating mothers and their babies. Animals, by eating from garbage dumps or industrial waste, carry the risk of affecting the health of people through consumption of meat, eggs, milk or dairy products. "Given that in India there is no monitoring of medical waste incinerators, which are among the highest sources of dioxins, and no norms for food safety or testing levels of dioxins, readily available alternate technologies for tackling such wastes must be explored," Singh said. Incineration of medical waste even at the recommended temperatures of 1,000-1,200 degrees centigrade in the European Union have shown dioxin production. In India, the risks are much higher as none of the incinerators are being operated at the required temperature, Ravi Agarwal, director of Toxic Links, said. "A policy for phasing out waste incineration must be the first step towards dioxin elimination, followed by product substitution and clean production," he said. The toxic substances measured in the study are slated for reduction and elimination under the Stockholm Convention, which came into effect last year, and will be marked by the first Conference of Parties beginning May 2 in Uruguay. Stressing the need for India to ratify the Stockholm Convention, Agarwal said: "We have all the technological options available to tackle toxic wastes, yet we are choosing low-end and most expensive options." Agarwal said operating incinerators was expensive for the private sector, which is why their numbers in Delhi has fallen from 59 to 19 over the last three years.
expressnewslinehttp://expressnewsline.com/phpnews/news.php?action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=1629 Improper waste incineration poisoning food chain: study 05 April, 2005 by mandeep A global study has warned that improper burning of garbage can lead to cancer-causing dioxins .... A global study has warned that improper burning of garbage can lead to cancer-causing dioxins entering the food chain even as the Delhi government considers setting up incinerators to tackle the city's mounting toxic waste. The study released here Monday by NGO Toxics Link has warned that shortcomings in waste management policies can lead to dioxins contaminating not just eggs, milk and other animal products but even mother's milk. The study was initiated by the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) to find out if free-range chicken eggs contained persistent organic pollutants (POPs). It showed five and a half times higher dioxin level in egg samples collected from areas near the medical waste incinerator of Queen Mary's hospital in Lucknow. Pratibha Singh of Toxics Link said that eight of the 20 reports released showed that egg samples collected in India and tested in WHO-accredited Czech Axys Varilab had the second highest levels of dioxins, a potent cancer causing agent. A little exposure to dioxins can have a deep impact on pregnant women or lactating mothers and their babies. Animals, by eating from garbage dumps or industrial waste, carry the risk of affecting the health of people through consumption of meat, eggs, milk or dairy products. "Given that in India there is no monitoring of medical waste incinerators, which are among the highest sources of dioxins, and no norms for food safety or testing levels of dioxins, readily available alternate technologies for tackling such wastes must be explored," Singh said. Incineration of medical waste even at the recommended temperatures of 1,000-1,200 degrees centigrade in the European Union have shown dioxin production. In India, the risks are much higher as none of the incinerators are being operated at the required temperature, Ravi Agarwal, director of Toxic Links, said. "A policy for phasing out waste incineration must be the first step towards dioxin elimination, followed by product substitution and clean production," he said. The toxic substances measured in the study are slated for reduction and elimination under the Stockholm Convention, which came into effect last year, and will be marked by the first Conference of Parties beginning May 2 in Uruguay. Stressing the need for India to ratify the Stockholm Convention, Agarwal said: "We have all the technological options available to tackle toxic wastes, yet we are choosing low-end and most expensive options." Agarwal said operating incinerators was expensive for the private sector, which is why their numbers in Delhi has fallen from 59 to 19 over the last three years.
CTK National News WireMarch 30, 2005 ENVIRONMENTALISTS WARN AGAINST TOXIC CONTAMINATED EGGS MS PRAGUE, March 30; (MS) BODY: Some twenty environmentalist activities, some of them guised as hens and carrying posters featuring giant eggs, walked along the Charles Bridge to the Chamber of Deputies where they handed a petition warning against the "alarming" results of hen eggs tests throughout the world. "Some 200 eggs from 18 countries have been tested within this unique international project. We have found out that the eggs are contaminated mainly with hexachlorobenzene, with Czech eggs being the worst," Arnika association spokesman Marek Jehlicka said. He said that the eggs did not come from the retail network, but from individual breeders. "In large-scale breeding centres eggs are tested and hens do not get in contact with nature at all," Jelicka said. He said that scientists have found also polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins in the eggs. The activists, whose march attracted only minimal interest of the public, handed the petition called "Future without poisons II" to Radko Martinek (CSSD), chairman of the public administration, regional development and the environment committee. The petition gathered 9,233 signatures. "We will ask the environmentminister to comment on it and we will discuss his comments at the committee as well as at the sub- committee for the environment," Martinek said. The results will also be handed to the delegates from all signatory countries of the Stockholm convention who will take part in a conference on ways to limit the production of toxic substances in Uruguay in May. The Czech Republic also signed the convention and thus pledged to eliminate the 12 most toxic substances in the world.
Czech News AgencyMarch 30, 2005 ENVIRONMENTALISTS WARN AGAINST TOXIC CONTAMINATED EGGS PRAGUE, March 30 (CTK) - Some twenty environmentalist activities, some of them guised as hens and carrying posters featuring giant eggs, walked along the Charles Bridge to the Chamber of Deputies where they handed a petition warning against the "alarming" results of hen eggs tests throughout the world. "Some 200 eggs from 18 countries have been tested within this unique international project. We have found out that the eggs are contaminated mainly with hexachlorobenzene, with Czech eggs being the worst," Arnika association spokesman Marek Jehlicka said. He said that the eggs did not come from the retail network, but from individual breeders. "In large-scale breeding centres eggs are tested and hens do not get in contact with nature at all," Jelicka said. He said that scientists have found also polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins in the eggs. The activists, whose march attracted only minimal interest of the public, handed the petition called "Future without poisons II" to Radko Martinek (CSSD), chairman of the public administration, regional development and the environment committee. The petition gathered 9,233 signatures. "We will ask the environment minister to comment on it and we will discuss his comments at the committee as well as at the sub- committee for the environment," Martinek said. The results will also be handed to the delegates from all signatory countries of the Stockholm convention who will take part in a conference on ways to limit the production of toxic substances in Uruguay in May. The Czech Republic also signed the convention and thus pledged to eliminate the 12 most toxic substances in the world.
CTK National News WireMarch 21, 2005 EXPERTS CONFIRM DIOXINS IN EGGS AT KOSICE INCINERATION PLANT MS KOSICE, East Slovakia, March 21; (MS) Czech experts have found out that the level of carcinogenic dioxins in twelve eggs from five breeders living in the vicinity of the Kosice incineration plant burning communal waste exceeds four times the EU standard, Ladislav Hegyi told CTK today. Hegyi, from the Friends of the Earth environmentalist organisation from Kosice, said that the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were twice as high as the EU standard. He said his organisation will provide the monitoring results to government institutions. The Friends of the Earth will try to push through alternative ways of wastes liquidation, such as recycling, composting or mechanical-biological processing of unsorted wastes. Hegyi told CTK that the activists will draw attention to the problem abroad as well. They will ask the first meeting of diplomats on the Stockholm convention on decreasing persistent organic pollutants in Uruguay in May to tighten the rules binding on the sources releasing dioxins, including wastes incinerators.
Kochi, IndiaApril 19th 2005 Eloor Chicken Eggs Contaminated with Dioxins. Indian Govt Should Keep the Promise and Implement the Stockholm Convention to Eliminate Persistent Organic Pollutants, Public Interest Groups Demand Chicken eggs collected from households living in the Udyogmandal Industrial area in Eloor, Kerala, were found to contain high levels of the super-toxic DDT, dioxins and hexachlorobenzene (HCB). Taken from the vicinity of a hazardous waste incinerator and Hindustan Insecticides Ltd, India's last remaining DDT factory, the chicken eggs contained dioxins and DDT at four and three times the European Union limits for those chemicals in eggs respectively. HCB levels in the egg were seven times higher than background levels. HIL also manufactures other chlorinated pesticides including endosulfan, mancozeb and dicofol. All samples were taken from households living alongside the Kuzhikandam stream. Both the stream and the wetlands adjacent to it are contaminated by effluents let out from HIL. The circumstances and the dioxin congener patterns indicate that HIL's operations, including the hazardous waste incinerator, are responsible for this contamination. The study was jointly carried out by the "Dioxins, PCBs and Waste Working Group of the International POPs Elimination Network Secretariat," the Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samithi -PMVS (Kerala, India), Thanal (Kerala, India) and Arnika Association (Czech Republic). It is part of a global campaign by public interest groups worldwide exhorting countries that are party to the Stockholm Convention to "Keep the Promise; Eliminate POPs." As part of this project, chicken eggs in 20 countries of five continents were tested for dioxins, furans, PCBs, HCB and Lindane. "The levels of dioxins in the eggs indicate that consumers may already be at risk, especially given the persistent and bioaccumulative nature of the chemical. The Government of India has failed to take any action to prevent the toxic releases from the HIL plant despite the overwhelming evidence staring it in its face. On the eve of the First Conference of Parties of the Stockholm Convention, we demand that the Government of India stop dithering and take decisive steps to end the contamination, and begin remediation," says C. Jayakumar, director of Thanal. The Vice-chairman of the Periyar Malieenkarana Virudha Samithi, M K Kunjappan says "This study shows very clearly that the Government is least concerned about the plight of the polluted community at Eloor. This factory HIL was started as part of the Governments need to protect public health through the production of DDT. In the last five years, so much evidence has mounted against the pollution unleashed by the factory. Now this study shows that the most toxic Dioxin is found in the eggs we eat. This is unacceptable, and the Government who owns this factory has to remediate and pay for the damage - both to the workers and the community" Some of the most toxic and bioaccumulative chemicals known to science have been categorised as Persistent Organic Pollutants and slotted for elimination by the global community through the Stockholm Convention that was signed by countries across the world in May 2001. In the first phase, 12 priority pollutants, including dioxins, HCB and DDT, are required to be minimised, with the aim of elimination, by either phasing out production or eliminating their sources. The Stockholm Convention on POPs is the first global, legally binding instrument whose aim is to protect human health and the environment by controlling production, use and disposal of toxic chemicals. IPEN views the Stockholm Convention text as a promise by Governments, multilateral institutions and industry to protect public health and the environment from the injuries caused by POPs. For clarifications contact : C Jayakumar, Thanal, L-14, Jawahar Nagar, Kowdiar, Thiruvananthapuram - 695 003, Kerala. Ph : 94470-16587 (Jayakumar) or 0471-2727150 (office) Email :ipenpwg@thanal.org Purushan Eloor, Spokesperson Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samithi, Eloor, Udhyogamandal. Ph : 98952-25963 
Press ReleaseShocking levels of dioxin contamination found near proposed EU-funded waste site in Bulgaria April 13, 2005 A study of free-range chicken eggs produced in the village of Kovachevo in the Stara Zagora region of Bulgaria has revealed evidence of alarming levels of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination, pointing to the crucial need for Bulgaria to fulfill its commitment to reduce human exposure to harmful persistent organic pollutants (POPs). [1] However, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water continues to promote the construction of a facility which will be a future POPs emitter two kilometres from Kovachevo and which will include a 15 000 tons per year incinerator as well as asbestos and hazardous waste landfills. The National Hazardous Waste Centre (NHWC) project is seeking substantial funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Union ISPA funds. The study showed one of the highest levels of dioxins ever measured in chicken eggs. Dioxins in eggs from Kovachevo exceeded the European Union limit by a factor of more than 20. The level of PCBs found in the eggs was more than double the proposed EU limit. According to official estimations from the national Environmental Agency, more than 40 percent of the dioxin air emissions in 2002 derived from three thermal power plants, like the Maritsa East II thermal power plant, situated in the Stara Zagora region. Other sources for the pollutants include obsolete pesticide storage in the village and a brick factory 15 kilometres from Kovachevo. “It’s obvious that POPs have already gotten into the food chain and for Kovachevo the results are terrifying,” said Ivaylo Hlebarov from Za Zemiata, a Sofia-based member group of CEE Bankwatch Network. “People in the area already suffer from different types of cancer and respiratory diseases and they eat contaminated food every day. If the toxic substances are now at extremely high levels, what about after the construction of the NHWC? The Environment ministry has ignored the concerns of NGOs and locally affected people who have argued against the NHWC for five years. Instead of helping the local population to deal with such high contamination the European Commission and European Investment Bank are still planning to finance our government’s plan for an incinerator project which will only perpetuate the region’s health and environmental problems.” During an official meeting in June 2004 between NGOs, the Environment ministry and the EU delegation to Bulgaria, ministry representatives said that they do not have any background measures of toxic substances, but will measure the incinerator emissions twice a year once it is operational. “This is absurd. The Environment ministry is set to give the go-ahead to another POPs emitter without having any real measures for breast milk, eggs or air and despite ignoring its own data on air emissions. They actually refused to come up with reliable measures and later stated that there would be no risk to the villagers and the environment. We’ve now tested the eggs for dioxins and the results are frightening. Building a huge incinerator next to Kovachevo to cater for the dumping of toxic materials from all over Bulgaria is planning straight out of the asylum,” concluded Ivaylo Hlebarov. The egg sampling, conducted by the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) [2], Za Zemiata (For the Earth) and Arnika Association, comes ahead of next month’s first Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. This historic Convention marks the first global, legally binding instrument which aims to protect human health and the environment by controlling the production, use and disposal of toxic chemicals. The Bulgarian Parliament ratified the Convention in September 2004. For more information, contact: Ivaylo Hlebarov, Za Zemiata Tel: + 359 2 951 53 18, +359 898 252 303 hlebarov@bankwatch.org Notes for editors: 1. This study is one of 18 being conducted in countries around the globe to highlight the need for Parties to the Stockholm Convention to carefully inventory sources of POPs and include the use of substitution or modified materials in any plan for their elimination or reduction. POPs are toxic substances that are produced and released into the environment largely as a result of human activity. They do not break down easily so persist in the environment for many years and can travel great distances through the air and water currents. Some POPs are produced for use as pesticides, some for use as industrial chemicals, and others as unwanted byproducts of combustion or chemical processes that take place in the presence of chlorine compounds. Parties to the Stockholm Convention agreed to reduce and eliminate 12 of the world’s most harmful and persistent pollutants, including four POPs that are produced unintentionally: dioxins, furans, hexachlorobenzene and PCBs. Chicken eggs were chosen for the study because they are a common food item, their fat content makes them appropriate for monitoring chemicals such as POPs that dissolve in fat, and eggs are a powerful symbol of new life. The study focused on free-range hens because they can easily access and eat soil animals and therefore their eggs are good tools for biomonitoring of environmental contamination. 2. The International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) is a global public interest NGO network with more than 350 Participating Organizations in 65 countries and in all regions. IPEN was formed in 1998 during the first POPs Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting (INC1). IPEN-Participating organizations in many countries and in all regions collaborated to advance the common goal of creating a strong and effective global POPs treaty. IPEN now works with NGOs at regional, national, district and community levels in support of POPs elimination efforts as a step toward a future world where toxic chemicals no longer cause harm to human health or to the environment. Read more background information about the National Hazardous Waste Centre at Za Zemiata's website: http://www.zazemiata.org/bw/radnevo/index_en.php And at the Bankwatch website: http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/eib/nhwc/mnhwc.html
Press coverageof the Czech action with eggs. Ekologictí aktivisté varují pred toxicky kontaminovanými vejci 30. brezna 2005 13:25 Czech Press Agency news: http://www.ekolist.cz http://www.ceskenoviny.cz http://czechworldnews.com http://www.enviweb.cz http://ihned.cz Czech versions of press releases: 30 March 2005 http://www.arnika.org 25 March 2005 http://www.arnika.org 25 February 2005 http://www.arnika.org Czech Republic - egg happening.pdf Press clippings with photos  Adobe Acrobat .pdf 828 KB
Greenpeace ve BumerangIzmit'ten Toplanan Tavuk Yumurtalarinda Dünyanin en tehlikeli kimyasallari Tespit Edildi  Greenpeace ve Bumerang,
Adobe Acrobat .pdf 250 KB
Slovak report summary on the web. http://www.spz.sk At this webpage is Slovak version of the press release from 21st March 2005: http://www.spz.sk Slovak press release 21-3-2005 Adobe Acrobat .pdf 240 KB
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