Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to prepare a global legally binding instrument on mercury
First session
Stockholm, 7 to 11 June, 2010
С 7-по 11 июня 2010 года в Стокгольме проходит первое заседание Международного переговорного комитета по ртути.
10.06.2010
Новости “Эко-Согласия” по химической безопасности
СОДЕРЖАЩИЕ РТУТЬ ОТХОДЫ И ЗАГРЯЗНЕННЫЕ ТЕРРИТОРИИ
Эти вопросы были в числе приоритетных на проходящих в настоящее время в Стокгольме переговорах по подготовке имеющего обязательную юридическую силу глобального документа по ртути.
По мнению Японии, необходимо принять положение по эффективному управлению ртуть содержащими отходами. Уже к 2011 году страна намерена завершить работу по инвентаризации отходов и мест их захоронения, а также по определению эффективных методов очистки. Япония считает необходимым установить пороги содержания ртути для ртуть содержащих товаров, исходя из ограничений Базельской конвенции.
Как отметил представитель Китая, в прошлом страна не осознавала в достаточной степени серьезности проблемы ртуть содержащих отходов, не учитывала все возможные последствия. Сейчас Китай столкнулся с тем, что проблема загрязненных территорий приобретает все большую остроту. К 2015 году правительство предложило создать систему контроля и оценки по тяжелым металлам. По мнению Китая, Базельская конвенция может сыграть важную роль по поддержке будущей конвенции по ртути, учитывая при этом, что страны будут нуждаться в финансовой и технической поддержке при решении проблем удаления отходов и реабилитации загрязненных участков.
По мнению Норвегии, договор по ртути должен содержать положения об экологически чистом устранении ртуть содержащих отходов – хранение ртути и ртуть содержащих отходов также входит в круг этих вопросов. Кроме того, документ должен включать положения о составлении регистров ртути и ртуть содержащих отходов. Должны быть перечислены процессы, которые приводят к образованию таких отходов. Такие отходы должны быть отделены от других отходов и перерабатываться в отдельных местах. Следует также подумать о лимитах и порогах содержания ртути в отходах. При этом делегат Норвегии подчеркнул, что поддерживает положения Базельской конвенции по экологически обоснованному управлению ртуть содержащими отходами.
По словам представителя ЕС – ртуть содержащие отходы часто захораниваются параллельно с другими отходами. Этот аспект проблемы должен быть учтен при описании таких полигонов.
Как отметил делегат от Мексики, в стране еще с колониальных времен находятся места, где захоронены отходы горно-добывающей деятельности с большим процентом содержания в них опасных веществ. Отходы горно-добывающей промышленности – важный источник вторичного загрязнения ртутью.
Неправительственные организации подготовили отдельное заявление по ртуть содержащим отходам. Как отмечается в заявлении, отходы, содержащие ртуть, представляют серьезную опасность для развивающихся стран и стран с переходной экономикой. Некоторые делегаты говорили о целесообразности перевести обсуждение проблем, связанных со ртуть содержащими отходами, под юрисдикцию Базельской конвенции. По их мнению, новое соглашение по ртути не нуждается в положениях, связанных с отходами. НПО выступают против подобной позиции.
Цель нового соглашения – защита здоровья людей и окружающей среды от воздействия ртути. Это включает и отходы. Важно, чтобы переговорный комитет рассмотрел все элементы, касающиеся отходов, и добился бы исключения возможных пробелов и недопонимания между двумя соглашениями, а именно, Базельской конвенцией и готовящимся новым договором по ртути.
Вот некоторые вопросы, связанные со ртуть содержащими отходами:
1.Является ли элементарная ртуть, используемая в качестве сырья в производственных процессах и товарах, отходом или товаром?
2. Какой минимальный уровень ртути должен быть в отходах и на загрязненных территориях прежде чем они могут считаться “чистыми” от ртути?
За последние 10 лет структуры Базельской конвенции не смогли разработать стандарты по содержанию СОЗ в отходах, известные как низкие уровни содержания СОЗ, которые бы отвечали интересам здоровья человека. Это произошло потому, что Стокгольмская конвенция о СОЗ передала этот вопрос под ответственность Базельской конвенции. В результате мы имеем небезопасное регулирование отходов, содержащих СОЗ. Такого нельзя допустить в рамках нового соглашения по ртути.
Конвенция по ртути должна сохранить под своей юрисдикцией определение того, что собой представляют ртуть содержащие отходы и установить уровни ртути, необходимые для принятия конкретных действий.
Еще один фактор, касающийся Базельской конвенции – это правомочность рассмотрения некоторых аспектов ртути на протяжении ее жизненного цикла. Согласно INC.1/INF/3 Базельской конвенции, конвенция:
1. Не рассматривает вопросы добычи и торговли первичной ртутью;
2. Не регулирует трансграничное передвижение химических веществ и товаров и не устанавливает ограничения на элементарную ртуть и соединения ртути;
3. Не регулирует вопросы восстановления загрязненных территорий, оказывающих негативное воздействие на здоровье людей и окружающую среду.
Кроме того, в рамках Базельской конвенции не разработан финансовый механизм. Поэтому решение отнести вопросы ртутных отходов под юрисдикцию Базельской конвенции могут иметь непредсказуемые последствия, связанные, например, с тем, что национальные инициативы по контролю отходов не будут получать финансовую поддержку от финансового механизма, который будет создан в рамках нового соглашения по ртути.
И наконец, отсутствие специального понимания вопросов, связанных со ртутью, в рамках Базельской конвенции также может привести в непредсказуемым последствиям. Например, в существующем проекте технических руководящих принципов по ртуть содержащим отходам отмечается:
“возможно использовать другие типы сжигания для обращения со ртуть содержащими отходами и сбора ртути”.
Однако важно отметить, что ртуть не разрушается в процессе сжигания. Кроме того, мы убеждены, что сжигание отходов не является приемлемой технологией обращения со ртуть содержащими отходами.
НПО считают,что соглашение по ртути должно включать жесткие положения для решения проблем ртуть содержащих отходов для того, чтобы обеспечить выполнение главной цели соглашения – охрану здоровья людей и окружающей среды.
Загрязненные территории
Соглашение должно разработать механизм для выявления, регулирования и восстановления загрязненных ртутью территорий. Оно должно продвигать наилучшие имеющиеся технологии и практики по предотвращению загрязнения ртутью. Оно должно также продвигать наилучшие имеющиеся технологии и практики по предотвращению распространения загрязнения и восстановлению загрязненных территорий.
В связи с этим необходимо учесть принцип “загрязнитель платит”, а также разработать механизм для того, чтобы сделать этот принцип действенным инструментом будущей конвенции.
За дополнительной информацией обращайтесь:
Ольга Сперанская, руководитель Программы по химической безопасности “Эко-Согласия”, speransk2004@mail.ru
The year of 2010 is declared by the UN organization as an International Year of Biodiversity. In this sense the 22nd of May is a special day, as this day the International Day of Biodiversity is celebrated throughout the world offering an opportunity for the public to focus its attention on this issue. Both the year and the day of biodiversity were also festive for us, the Armenian people.
The “Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment” NGO /AWHHE/ together with the WWF-Armenia implemented the project “Save the Leopard in Armenia” supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the WWF Swi tzerland.
The Project concluded with the event “Save the Leopard” dedicated to the Caucasian leopard – one of the rare mammals living in Armenia . The event took place in the Yerevan State Zoo. It looked like a fairy tale, very bright and multicolored, full of smile and happiness, where more than 200 children from 7 schools of the capital took part. The event was preceded with lectures on biodiversity conservation, particularly on preservation of Caucasian leopard. The lectures were organized by AWHHE during one month f or all the 8 th form pupils of the mentioned schools with the aim of helping the children understand the importance of biodiversity for the healthy and sustainable development of the Earth. A contest of handworks on the conservation of leopard was announced among the schoolchildren of the involved schools. By the end of the contest 142 handworks of talented schoolchildren were presented and the Special Commission which was comprised of professional artists and representatives from the WWF-Armenia and the AWHHE NGO made the assessment of the works. As a result of the contest, 25 pupils were awarded prizes of 5 categories. Moreover, all the children who participated in the event were given encouraging prizes.
The event was opened with welcome words of the Minister of Nature Protection, the Honorable Consul of Norway in Armenia , and the representative of the Education Department of the Yerevan city administration. Mrs. Elena Manvelyan, the President of the AWHHE NGO, on behalf of her organization expressed her gratitude to all those people and organizations that assisted in the organization of the event. The schoolchildren (140 pupils) from 7 schools took an active part in the contest games. As a result, the school N 176 was recognized as the winner of the competition.
The celebration would not be a real one without any songs and dances. Due to nice songs, dances and a theatrical performance the event became a real festival . Everybody was in high spirits and the smile was hovering over the faces of both the grown-ups and the young. Flags were waving and multicolor balloons were flying in the air, the colors of which were appropriate to the colors of the schoolchildren’s T-shirts. A big balloon with a picture of a leopard was let out to the air and at that moment each participant looking at the sky held a big dream a bout the cloudless future for the leopards when they won’t be t h reatened with extinction, they will come to Armenia and never go away, they will stay, multiply and live for ever.
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Healthy Environment for Our Children – Healthy Generation for Armenia
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( New York, USA )
There is an emergency situation caused by the destruction of the burial site of obsolete pesticides, which can pose enormous threat to human health and the environment. The site is located between villages Voghchabert and Geghadir. About 800 meters from the cottage settlement and the village Moushakan and belongs to the Yerevan administrative area.
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The Problem of the Burial Ground will get a Solution.
The Office of OSCE in Yerevan is lending support
The Nubarashen burial ground of obsolete pesticides is threatening to cause a serious ecological catastrophe. There is an urgent need to remove and dispose the huge amount of pesticides buried in this site. But this is not as easy as it seems to be done. To implement everything safely and on a high level a huge amount of finances is needed. Now the RoA Ministry of Emergency Situations together with the Yerevan Office of OSCE is undertaking serious steps towards the fundraising and the immediate solution of the problem.
A program on study of the area of the Nubarashen burial ground is developed by the Rescue Service of the RoA MES and the Yerevan Office of OSCE. According to this program the chemical situation of the territory must be clarified, also there should be done analyses and recommendations on further steps should be submitted.
On April 12, 2010 a group of specialists from the OSCE visited to the Rescue Service of Armenia to discuss the problem. The discussions were held with participation of representatives from different departments, international and non-governmental organizations, as well the experienced international expert John Vijgen, who was invited by the Yerevan Office of OSCE within the framework of the project “To assist with the disposal of the Nubarashen burial ground”.
There took place a discussion about the situation in the Nubarashen burial ground which was characterized as an emergency situation. To prevent the situation it was suggested that within a possible short period of time activities should be done for the reburial of the excavated pesticides and the restoration of the drainage system. The international expert John Vijgen suggested that the Ministry of Emergency Situations should apply to the Yerevan Office of OSCE and the UN Agency in Armenia with a request to provide funds for the implementation of the activities.
The same day Armen Yeritsyan, the Minister of MES, Edik Barseghyan, the Chief of the Rescue Service of Armenia and Sergey Kapinosa, the Ambassador of the OSCE met with one another. The problem of Nubarashen burial ground was discussed and the immediate solution of the problem was qualified as of utmost importance
The Nubarashen burial ground of obsolete pesticides was constructed still in 1982 but the constructors had considered neither the locality conditions nor the safety rules. They had just dug at a depth of 5 meters and buried the obsolete pesticides with amount of about 600 tons, mainly DDT, in bags and containers just placing them one over the over. As far as the burial ground is in the active landslide locality the burial ground with all its content has been sliding downwards to the near territories for about 30 years on end. In the vicinity of the burial ground are located not only the villages Jrashen, Geghanist and Moushakan, but also the reserve of the natural wheat. The length of the burial ground is 100m, the width is 20 m, and the depth is less than 5 meters. The approximate volume is estimated at 10000m 3 .
In 2004 construction works of a drainage system were done in the area of the burial ground that caused the landslide process to become slower. The area was fenced in and the signs prohibiting the entrance to the territory were placed. But the posts with barbed wire fence were destroyed in some sections by the people, the barbed wires were cut and the prohibition signs disappeared.
On May 15, 2008 a case of excavation of the burial ground was registered about which was reported to the RoA Police Department of Erebouni community. According to the conclusion of the police heavy machinery was used for excavating the burial ground. Three holes were dug; two of them reached the upper layer of the buried pesticides. The pesticides were taken out and scattered about the surface of the ground. Due to the undertaken measures the excavated pesticides were reburied and the damaged section of the fence was restored.
On March 4, 2010 another case of excavation of the burial ground was reported. The upper layer of the burial ground was completely damaged, the pesticides of the upper layer were excavated and scattered about the whole area of the ground, the drains were filled with earth and could not serve their purpose, the post with barbed wire fence were fallen down to the ground, the gate was destroyed. A big environmental harm was caused to the territory, and a real threat of emergency situation occurred. The Ministry of Emergency Situations has appealed to the Chief of the Police of Armenia.
According to the preliminary conclusion of the experts the disposal of the buried pesticides should be executed with 4 stages.
In the 1 st stage the preliminary activities should be implemented including the geological investigation of the area, the chemical analyses of the upper layer of the burial ground (1-2m) in order to find out the availability of possible contamination; sampling of pesticides; opening activities in some sections of the burial ground in order to find out the possibility of assortment; preliminary professional conclusion on disposal methods and possibilities.
In the 2 nd stage it is planned to carry out activities of taking out, packaging and transportation, including the preparation of a working platform in the adjacent area of the burial ground, provision of communication, taking out and transportation of the pesticides to a store for temporary storage, and the re-cultivation of the area.
In the 3 rd stage the identification of the pesticides, packaging and selection of the disposal alternative is planned to be done.
The elimination of the pesticides is planned to be carried out in the 4 th stage.
The buried pesticides of the Nubarashen burial ground are classified as compounds belonging to the I and II categories of a hazard. According to the official documents the amount of the buried pesticides is about 512 tons. But this amount can turn out to be more during the removal of the pesticides. On the 15 th of April, 2010 the working group under the leadership of the Deputy Ambassador of the Yerevan Office of OSCE Karel Hofstra and the Minister of the MES Armen Yeritzyan and the experts of the Ministry of Agriculture visited the Nubarashen burial ground. They investigated the situation, gave their assessments and were convinced of the necessity to organize everything without hesitation.
Thus, the first stage, i.e. the study of the burial ground, the development of a working plan has already commenced. As for the remaining steps, in order to get support to organize the taking out of the pesticides, transportation and the elimination thereof, the Armenian Government will apply to its partners and the international organizations.
YEREVAN – Help the rural communities to implement sustainable agriculture and eliminate the danger of chemical pollution in Ararat and Armavir regions. That is the main goal of the new project launched by Czech not-for profit organization Arnika and Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment (AWHHE). Project is focused on finding of technical solutions to eliminate several hot spots contamination by obsolete toxic pesticides caused by their improper management and storage, including so called persistent organic pollutants (POPs). It will also help Armenia to implement international Stockholm Convention.
“Since 1960s, hundreds of tons of pesticides have been used in agriculture. We can still feel the consequences in a form of serious contamination of particular places,” says Lilik Simonyan, AWHHE executive director. “In our project, we wish to find the solutions at least for some of the most disturbing cases, and also show the alternative ways of environmentally responsible and economically modest agriculture. Although the pesticides that are on sale now, are not banned by Stockholm Convention, they also pose a risk on human health,” refers Mrs. Simonyan.
AWHHE expects solution to some of the most disturbing cases. „Placing the problem of obsolete pesticides hot spots in political agenda should be our main goal“, says Mrs. Lilik Simonyan. She also mentioned the organization´s disappointment with the current situation which is very unsatisfactory and in some cases has even worsened during last year. The conclusion of a recent visit to the most discussed burial site in administrative area of Yerevan , which constitutes a serious threat despite of years of lobbying, confirms these findings. This obsolete pesticides burial site will be one of the main cases to be solved in frames of the project.
Arnika will bring its expert skills regarding the real danger of the pesticides stored in selected hot spots or being still used, and experience with cleaning up similar burdens in the Czech Republic . “It is necessary not only to clean-up contaminated sites, but also to deal with the contamination responsibly, not to allow new risk to the public health and the environment”, says Jindrich Petrlik, executive director of Toxics and Waste program of Arnika. He stresses, that non-combustion technologies of the cleanup should be used, that don’t lead to another pollution of the environment.
Both, AWHHE and Arnika believe that only cooperation of the non-governmental organizations, regional authorities, municipalities, governmental bodies and experts can bring sustainable solutions. Project activities will also consist of educational programs for villagers and farmers. “It is essential to give the people as much possibilities to participate in decision making procedures as possible,” says Martin Skalsky of Arnika. In a similar case in Czech village Pozdatky, a close cooperation of all stakeholders lead to cleanup of broke down hazardous waste storage in several years.
A joint project of Arnika Association and Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment (AWHHE) is called „Scaling Up Experience in Improvement of Chemical Safety to Contribute to Poverty Reduction in Rural Armenia“. It is financed by EU Aid Fund, Global Environmental Facility through UNDP, Global Greengrants Fund, International POPs Elimination Network, Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF). The start-up meeting of the project took place in Yerevan on March 29, 2010.
Armenian Women will organize seminars and workshops, to establish a network of Armenian civic associations and also to establish information center on chemical safety in Yerevan . This will enable the interested people to get information easily, and strengthen the cooperation among non-governmental sector with other parts of the society.
“Chemical contamination can debase the quality of water, soil, and other environmental compartments. This vicious cycle of dependency can be broken by raising awareness and promoting alternatives,” says Lilik Simonyan expert of the AWHHE on toxic chemicals. Due to lack of relevant information, citizens are not able to organize and fight for their rights, which should also be addressed by the project activities.
Should any questions arise, please contact Mr. Jindrich Petrlik by phone number: (+ 420) 603582984 (you may ask your questions also in Russian) or at AWHHE office: tel. 52 36 04; email. office@awhhe.am
This workshop is organized with the financial assistance of the European Union . Its contents are sole responsibility of Arnika Association and Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.
(Parma, Italy)
( Copenhagen, Denmark )
(Lodz, Poland)
(Geneva, Switzerland)