In the Conference of the Parts it was decided to expand from twelve to seventeen the listing of toxic POP substances to be eliminated or restricted to global scale, what means a very important step for human and environmental health.
However, it was let open the door to traffic of products containing COPs. In this respect, as the delegation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) present in the meeting as observer, declared particularly its preoccupation on the decision on POPs waste management, as well as on the proposal of the Secretariat of the Convention to consider confidential the information on the alternatives to the substances, the methods of waste management methods and the data of production and use, among others, during the process of risk evaluation of the substances candidates to be part of the Convention.
Another important issue was the use of DDT to fight the malaria that was considered to probably be, just before the Conference, one of the most problematic issues, particularly after the unfortunate press release of World health Organization (WHO) half a year ago, which was widely interpreted as an open door to the use of DDT. WHO position, at the beginning of week, closed the false polemics and permitted to centre the debate in the use of alternatives.
During the Conference, there was a Trade Union side event organized, in which Sustainlabour presented a clearing house in English, French and Spaniard on Persistent Organic Pollutants for workers and Trade Unions to facilitate identification and elimination of these substances (available at
The side event addressed also the importance of Trade Unions involvement for the elaboration and further implementation of the National Implementation Plans. The Spanish case was presented as an example of successful Trade Union involvement, seizing labour and social issues. Pesticides Action Network built on the existing potential and opportunities of civil society alliances to address POPs.
You can download the programme of the side event in English and French here
In addition, the Union Institute of Work, Environment and Health from CCOO-Spain (ISTAS-CCOO) informed on a free data base for workers and workers officers on chemical risk called RISCTOX, which contains information on more than 30.000 chemical substances.
