Dioxin is the most poisonous chemical known to science. It accumulates in our bodies, causes cancer and is passed on to our children.
After signing, all signatories have two years in which to implement the Convention.
Greenpeace supports the Stockholm Convention and considers that it provides a solid basis on which to work towards the elimination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Yet it stresses that treaties are not solutions in themselves as words alone are not enough to clean the environment. They are only effective if governments turn them into concrete actions and implement industrial and real regulatory change based upon the precautionary principle. Greenpeace also stresses the urgent need for immediate action to eliminate POPs.
The objective of the Convention is to protect human health and the environment from deadly, man-made chemicals that do not break down in the environment. The only way to do this is to outlaw and eliminate sources of dioxins. Dioxins are created by the use of chlorine in many chemical processes, dioxin contaminated chemicals such as 245-T, 24-D, and pentachlorophenol, and burning organic matter in the presence of chlorine.
Outlawing dioxins means banning any products or processes that are likely to emit dioxins into the environment. The only way to stop continued contamination of people and the environment is to ban the sources of dioxins, such as waste incineration, the production and use of PVC (polyvinylchloride) plastic and chlorine bleaching pulp for paper.
Dioxin-contaminated sites, from the former use of contaminated chemicals such as 245-T and pentachlorophenol, are a large source of dioxins in New Zealand. Contaminated sites must be cleaned up so that the dioxins are destroyed, not simply shifted from one place to another.
The government must identify sources of dioxins and systematically eliminate them.
POPS: The Treaty
The Stockholm Convention provides a solid basis on which to work towards solving the problem of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). It will require a radical change in chemical policy and industrial practices worldwide as it aims to:
Ban new POPs
Prevent the manufacture and use of new chemicals that have POPs characteristics. This sends a clear message to the chemical industry that it can no longer use the environment and human health as a large-scale laboratory to test its chemicals.
Eliminate existing POPs
Eliminate all existing POPs starting with a list of the dirty dozen that have been targeted by the Stockholm Convention.
Other existing chemicals with POPs characteristics, such as brominated flame retardants, used in soft furnishings and electrical equipment, can be added to the treaty's elimination list, based on the precautionary approach. This recognises that lack of scientific certainty should not prevent action being taken to protect against harm. In the past, absolute scientific proof that a chemical causes harm to people and the environment has been required before the problem has been considered, by which point it is too late to prevent that harm from occurring. The burden of proof that a chemical is safe, must be with the producer of the chemical before it is released into the environment, products and communities.
The Dirty Dozen list includes:
- Chemicals deliberately produced by industry. Eight pesticides: aldrin, endrin, toxaphene, chlordane, dieldrin, heptachol, mirex and DDT industrial chemicals: hexachlorobenzene and PCBs.The manufacture and use of most of the POPs pesticides has already been banned in most countries but stockpiles still exist and are causing problems to people exposed to them or who handle them improperly. Research into the location of all stockpiles of POPs pesticides worldwide will be required under the treaty and, crucially, methods of disposal must be agreed. The treaty recognises that waste incineration is a significant source of dioxin, furans, hexachlorobenzenes and PCBs. If the POPs stockpiles are incinerated, the contamination will not be destroyed but more POPs will be spread into the environment. The POPs treaty requires destruction of stockpiles that does not create POPs or cause POPs to persist.Some countries will be permitted to continue using some of the above POPs for specific uses, such as DDT for malaria control. Yet such uses will be restricted and only permitted for a certain amount of time.
- Chemicals released as unwanted industrial by-products: PCB's, hexachlorobenzenes, dioxins and furans.
Materials substitution
All countries have agreed that, in order to work towards dioxin elimination, there is a need to replace all materials, products and production processes that release dioxin and replace them with substitutes that do not cause dioxin release. Each country will have to start by compiling inventories outlining which of their industries release dioxin. This will include all industrial sectors that use chlorine, such as the PVC plastics and pulp and paper bleaching industries. It will also include incineration plants that burn municipal, medical or hazardous wastes that contain chlorine.
Financial assistance for POPs elimination
An agreement has been reached that developing countries and countries in economic transition will receive financial and technical assistance from richer nations to clean up POPs contamination and to reform industry to ban POPs. Greenpeace supports this provision and stresses that countries that developed the technologies and manufactured the chemicals that caused the POPs problem should pay their share in solving it.
Link to - Stockhom Convention on POPS website