IPEN

IPEN and Participating Organization (PO) representatives from Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment (Armenia), Greenwomen (Kazakhstan), Independent Ecological Expertise (Kyrgyzstan), Eco-Accord (Russia), Volgograd Ecopress (Russia) and others participated in the recent 8th Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference in Batumi, Georgia (8 - 10 June, 2016). The theme of this year’s Conference was “Greener, Cleaner, Smarter,” and much of its content focused on a green economy. See detailed information here.

IPEN representatives are currently attending the 10th Basel Convention Open-Ended Working Group meeting (OEWG-10) in Nairobi, Kenya. A range of issues are being discussed, including Low POPs Content Values for POPs waste, which is a critical issue for preventing the spread of POPs into consumer products and the environment.

(Taipei City, Taiwan) More than sixty percent of paints analyzed in a new study on total lead in solvent-based decorative paints contained high lead levels, and at least one paint from all eight brands analyzed contained exceedingly high lead levels. The findings are included in a report released today by Taiwan Watch Institute and IPEN. Moreover, most paint can labels failed to carry consumer information about lead content.

“The health impacts of lead exposure on young children’s brains are lifelong, irreversible and untreatable,” said Xavier Sun, Researcher, Taiwan Watch Institute. “We are limiting our children and our nation’s future intellectual development even though safe and effective alternatives are already in use and widely available in Taiwan. We must reduce this critical source of lead exposure to young children.”

Annual Worldwide Lead Exposure Costs are 7 Times the Amount Low- and Middle-Income Countries Receive in Development Assistance

(Nairobi, Kenya) Worldwide, the annual costs of lead exposure are $977 billion international dollars, with developing countries bearing the great majority of costs, according to research and a new interactive map released today that shows country-by-country costs. Overall, the costs of lead exposure are 7 times the amount of funding provided to developing countries in development aid in 2014.[i]

Economic Costs of Childhood Lead Exposure in Low-and Middle-Income Countries was developed by New York University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics (NYU) and released today at the 2^nd United Nations Environment Assembly meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya. The website can be accessed at: http://nyulmc.org/pediatricleadexposure. The map was created to help governments see the costs of lead exposure in their own countries; compare those costs with other countries; and compare costs with the amount of development assistance their country receives.