A new study, supported by the Minamata Convention’s Interim Secretariat hosted by UN Environment, reveals that women of childbearing age living in four Pacific Island countries have elevated levels of mercury in their bodies. Mercury monitoring in women of childbearing age in the Asia and the Pacific Region, jointly conducted by the interim secretariat of the Minamata Convention, Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), and the global NGO network IPEN, examined hair samples from women aged 18 - 44 from Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Kiribati, and two landlocked Asian countries, Tajikistan and Nepal.
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.
Para su publicación inmediata: 18 de Abril 2017 Para más información contactar a: Sofia Chávez Arce, schavez@casacem.org , Tel Guadalajara (33) 3615 4499
A new global survey finds that recycling plastics containing toxic flame retardant chemicals found in electronic waste results in contamination of the world’s best-selling toy along with other children’s products. Ironically, the chemical contaminants can damage the nervous system and reduce intellectual capacity but are found in Rubik’s Cubes – a puzzle toy designed to exercise the mind.
