Do you think that the banning of dangerous compounds should be speeded up, in spite of the cost?

Persistent Organic Pollutants 2

Yesterday I listed the "dirty dozen" persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which are currently banned or severely restricted under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) because of the damage they can cause to health. The convention met this week.

The roughly 800 delegates agreed to consider adding four more chemicals to the existing 12:

• lindane, a hexachlorocyclohexane (pesticide)
• pentabrominated diphenyl ether (penta-BDE) (flame retardant)
• hexabromobiphenyl (Hexa-BB) (flame retardant)
• chlordecone (pesticide)

The working group to consider the 4 will meet towards the end of the year, and it could take another 3 years for any ban to take effect. Other chemicals are still waiting in the wings. The conference also agreed to

• keep the current exemptions for DDT because of its usefulness against malaria. DDT may not be sprayed on crops, but is sprayed in homes. Malaria kills 1 million people annually.
• keep the current exemptions for the termite killer mirex which causes severe economic damage
• remove the current exemptions for some of the other chemicals on the "dirty dozen" list

So far 151 countries have signed the convention, but only 98 have ratified it. The United States and Russia have not yet ratified it. The delegates did not consider how to help poor countries afford the costs of expensive alternative to banned substances.

Every person in the world has some traces of POPs in their fatty tissues, so it is everybody's problem.

U.N. may add new chemicals to 'dirty dozen' ban

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) meeting concluded at Punta del Este, Uruguay today. The delegates agreed to consider 4 more chemicals to the list of banned pesticides and industrial chemicals. The legal exemptions for some of the "dirty dozen" on the list will be reduced, but not for some such as DDT which is useful in the fight against malaria.

Other Stories

U.S. Forest Service Scales Back Burns

The U.S. Forest Service has agreed to scale down its planned prescribed burn in northern Nevada and to allow biologists accompany them, in order to prevent harm to the sage grouse or their nests. The sage grouse's numbers in Northern America are believed to have crashed from 16 million to fewer than 150,000.

Mount St. Helens' Johnston Ridge Reopens

The Johnston Ridge Observatory, 5 miles from Mount St. Helens crater, has reopened to visitors. It was closed last October when the volcano started to erupt. There is a webcam at the observatory with a view of the mountain.

Yellowstone Rated High for Eruption Threat

The U.S. Geological Survey reports Yellowstone to be the 21st most dangerous of the 169 volcano centers in the United States. The reports seeks better monitoring for the top 55. The top 5 in terms of overall threat are:

1. Kilauea, Hawaii
2. Mount St. Helens, Washington
3. Mount Rainer, Washington
4. Mount Hood, Oregon
5. Mount Shasta, California

Report: Northwest Risks Mad Cow Exposure

The Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says that there is still a slight possibility of mad cow disease in the United States, most probably in the 3 Northwestern states bordering Canada.

Do you think that the banning of dangerous compounds should be speeded up, in spite of the cost?

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