A survey of children’s products in 10 countries1 finds widespread contamination with an industrial chemical recommended for global prohibition. Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are industrial chemicals primarily used in metalworking, but also as flame retardants and softeners in plastics. Their harmful properties have attracted global concern and a Stockholm Convention expert committee has recommended world-wide elimination of SCCPs under the treaty. SCCPs adversely affect the kidney, liver, and thyroid; disrupt endocrine function; and are anticipated to be human carcinogens.
In the run-up to the Basel Convention's 13th Conference of the Parties, IPEN and the Basel Action Network (BAN) have released a "Quick Views of Basel Convention COP13." This document is a summary statement of IPEN and BAN views on issues that COP13 will be called upon to address, including E-waste guidelines, illegal traffic, POPs wastes, technical assistance and regional centres, compliance, the Cartagena Declaration, and more.
Un estudio reciente, realizado a escala mundial por la Red Global IPEN y la ONG checa Arnika, detectó que uno de los juguetes más vendidos en el mundo -el cubo mágico- posee contaminantes tóxicos que pueden dañar el sistema nervioso y reducir la capacidad intelectual. En Argentina, el relevamiento estuvo a cargo de la ONG Taller Ecologista, desde donde advirtieron sobre los riesgos y la necesidad de un abordaje serio y responsable desde los Estados.
In the run-up to the Stockholm Convention's 8th Conference of the Parties, IPEN has released its "Quick Views of Stockholm Convention COP8." This document is a summary statement of IPEN views on issues that COP8 will be called upon to address, including POPs wastes, technical assistance and regional centres, rules of procedure, compliance, listing of new POPs (DecaBDE, SCCPs and HCBD), effectiveness evaluation, exemptions
