This study of mercury levels in women from four Latin American communities is the latest compilation of data in IPEN’s global mercury biomonitoring program. Hair samples were taken from women living in or near the mining towns of Vila Nova, Brazil, El Callao, Venezuela, Íquira, Colombia, and two groups living in Bolvia's Beni river system. The results for the Bolivian women were especially concerning: they had the highest mercury levels in our study, yet have no engagement with mining or contact with mercury and are reliant on a subsistence fish diet.
Earlier last month, a cargo ship carrying chemicals caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka - leaving in its wake an environmental disaster that the island will likely have to live with for decades.
Colombo, Sri Lanka For days it stood burning off the Sri Lanka coast, plumes of thick dark smoke that could be seen from miles away. But the X-Press Pearl has now fallen silent, lying half sunken off the coast of Sri Lanka, its hull resting on the shallow ocean bed.
But though the flames have now been doused - the problems have only just begun.
This report provides an overview of the current situation of plastic waste generation, handling, and management in Sri Lanka, including the legal framework available to address the issue. It also includes a public perception survey on plastic waste management in the country. The report is based on literature surveys, interviews conducted with public, and stakeholder meetings conducted with plastic producers, waste collection companies, several government agencies, and experts.
Report is related to the Sustainable goals 3, 11,12,14
Alternatives to highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) have been developed and increasingly used by farmers in Niger since the beginning of the last decade. Association Vie & Développement Kowa Murna (AVD-Kowa Murna) documents in this report such biological alternatives that are used. The report ends with recommendations on how to promote HHP alternatives in the country further.
This project relates to Sustainable Development Goals 2, 3, 6, 8, 12, 13, 14, and 15.
In recent years in Brazil, different economic sectors have been acting to modify Brazilian pesticides legislation, which would have serious impacts on human health and the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed down legislative discussions; however, several sub-legal changes published by regulatory agencies have been put into practice. As a result, pesticide products that had already had their ban announced in Brazil, such as the herbicide paraquat, now do not have a definitive decision for use. Additionally, new pesticide products have been commercially released without proper and thorough information on the safety of chronic exposure; in particular, on the toxicological interactions of the mixture of active principles present in the formulated products.
The ABRASCO (Associação Brasileira de Saùde Coletiva) NGO in Brazil has undertaken a study examining the damages to health and the environment that may result from this deregulation scenario, focusing on the most vulnerable groups in both rural and urban use of agrochemicals. The findings are presented via an overview of these breakdowns during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although already banned in Europe, about 33 dangerous pesticides are still imported by Tunisia, according to a report by the Association of Environmental Education for Future Generations (AEEFG), in collaboration with IPEN. According to Semia Gharbi, president of the AEEFG, a specialist in environmentals sciences, and coordinator of IPEN’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional hub, authorities have been slow to update their lists of registered pesticides imported into the country, with the currently available lists dating back to 2017.
Study in Europe Find "Forever Chemicals" Are Widespread in Disposable Packaging
Wednesday, 19 May 2021
Prague/Brussels/London A recent study by Arnika found PFAS in a huge percentage of food packaging materials and tableware in popular fast-food chains across Europe. In cooperation with six other NGOs including IPEN, the study found that 76% of the samples tested were intentionally treated with PFAS, which is a class of chemicals frequently used for their oil- and grease-repellent properties. Additionally, traces of PFAS were detected in all samples, which should not be surprising given how they do not break down easily and migrate into water and the enviroment, earning them their "forever chemicals" moniker. All of the materials tested were items intended for a single use, including items for which sustainable alternatives exist.
“It is high time for the European Union to act and immediately and permanently ban the entire class of PFAS in food packaging, to protect the consumers in the first place. It is clearly not essential to use highly toxic and persistent chemicals, posing such a serious health and environmental risk, in throw-away food packaging, especially when there are safer alternatives,” says Jitka Strakova, the main author of the study and Arnika/International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) science advisor.
This report is based on a European study, carried out by 8 civil society organizations, into the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in paper, board, and molded plant fiber disposable food packaging and tableware, sold in six European countries: The Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Kathmandu, Nepal The World Wildlife Fund-WWF Nepal has awarded the ‘WWF Nepal Conservation Award 2020 to the Center for Public Health and Environmental Development (CEPHED) for the latter’s efforts at biodiversity and environment conservation. The award was presented at a virtual award ceremony on Wednesday afternoon for CEPHED’s initiatives for eliminating POPs and Mercury from the country’s health sector.
"How the COVID-19 pandemic can impact chemicals and waste in the Ukraine,” produced by the NGO Chemical Safety Agency, demonstrates the rapid increase in the use of disinfectants and antiseptics during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine, and also the rapid increase in waste, specifically plastic waste (used personal protective equipment; used disposable instruments; used plastic containers; and bags and containers for food and drinks, because during the pandemic takeaway food sales are sharply increasing, etc.), which also contains hazardous chemicals.
