Global Network for the Monitoring of Chemicals in the Environment

 

Click Here to Add Comment

Previous

Current Articles

Next

---

Subject:  Global Network for the Monitoring of Chemicals in the Environment
Date:     Sun, 28 Apr 2002 10:44:09 -0400
From:      Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization:     Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)

To:     Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
          Director, State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation 

cc:    Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov

Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought you might find the following of interest to you:

HEROX: Human Exposure Research Organisations Exchange
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~oem148/index.hti

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~oem148/news0208.hti

Global Network for the Monitoring of Chemicals in the Environment

BACKGROUND

The lack of data on levels of chemicals in the environment seriously impairs the assessment of background exposures as well as damages to humans and the ecosystem. Due to differing procedures and measurement targets, existing data are difficult to compare and therefore, the need for international action was perceived as necessary. In order to fill this gap, a focus was put on the efforts made in the environmental monitoring of dangerous chemicals. During 1999, some countries and international organizations underlined the same need and exhorted UNEP Chemicals to approach the problem of chemicals environmental monitoring in a global scenario. The idea of networking between programmes and international organizations charged with the monitoring and assessment of chemicals thus started to grow within UNEP Chemicals. In the initial phase, the scope was very broad: to connect and link programmes and institutions measuring dangerous chemicals in the environment. Parallel to this, negotiations on the Stockholm Convention on POPs were being held and the opportunity for POPs monitoring captured the attention of the INC (Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee) as a sound tool for an effectiveness evaluation of the Convention. In the last rounds of negotiations an article on POPs environmental monitoring was introduced in the text of the Stockholm Convention. For this reason, the networking activity, already structured and funded by a donation of the U.S. Government, set the initial focus on POPs.

More specifically, The Stockholm Convention on POPs states that the Conference of the Parties should evaluate the effectiveness of the Convention commencing four years after the entry into force of the Convention and thereafter at regular intervals. In order to facilitate such evaluation, the Conference of the Parties shall, at its first meeting, initiate the establishment of arrangements to provide itself with comparable monitoring data on the presence of the chemicals listed in Annexes A, B. and C as well as their regional and global environmental transport. The Parties shall, on a regional basis, when appropriate, in accordance with their technical and financial capabilities, using existing monitoring programmes and promoting harmonization of approaches, implement these arrangements. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the Convention shall be conducted on the basis of available scientific, environmental, technical and economic information, including reports and other monitoring information, national reports on total quantities of production, import and export of each chemical of Annexes A and B. and, non compliance reports.

THE GLOBAL NETWORK ACTIVITY TODAY

The Global Network for the Monitoring of Chemicals in the Environment aims to link together national, regional and global organizations, laboratories and individuals responsible for or, involved in monitoring of chemicals in man and the environment. A core group of programmes met in Geneva in May 2001 to discuss the initiative and the issues related, such as possible matrices for chemicals monitoring and assessment and the identification of short and long-term objectives. The core group identified programmes in different countries and defined general guidelines for a number of chemicals. UNEP Chemicals sat up an Internet site (www.chem.unep.ch/gmn) linking together existing monitoring programs and resources on environmental monitoring. This site hosts discussion groups where existing programmes, scientists, or interested persons can discuss preparatory activities necessary to the collection of data such as: project design, guidelines for data sampling, analyses, and data exchange formats.

Furthermore, UNEP Chemicals carried out an identification of possible partners in countries not represented in the core group and, for this purpose, sent a presentation of the project and a questionnaire on monitoring activities and laboratories involved with chemicals to countries and stakeholders. During 2001, UNEP Chemicals sought the collaboration with other international organizations through the participation at meetings related to monitoring and assessment of chemicals.

FUTURE SCENARIO

UNEP Chemicals networking activity is currently seeking the endorsement of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the Stockholm Convention on POPs in order to set its initial focus either on POPs or to a broader range of substances. Depending on the focus, different strategies could be used to produce comparable data on chemicals in the environment. As a general statement, however, only a monitoring activity with validated methodologies, targeted to the same matrices, should set a base line in each country. Each country would receive recommendations on how to implement a monitoring activity on chemicals in the environment in order to get comparable data, at least regionally. Countries would be able to nominate country experts to participate in working groups and workshops for the definition of regional recommendations on chemicals environmental monitoring. UNEP Chemicals would, after consulting with an advisory group of experts, ask participating scientists to provide background papers on different components of an ideal programme. The components would be discussed in a workshop, where a large participation of experts and interested parties would be aimed for. The recommendations would cover all the different aspects of chemicals monitoring and assessment including the standard for electronic data communication to an information system hosted by UNEP Chemicals. The information system would provide a tool to make data publicly available. UNEP Chemicals would also support countries in carrying out the measurements, taking into consideration the reports describing the actual knowledge and knowledge gaps on chemicals environmental levels produced by the project "Regionally Based Assessment of Persistent Toxic Substances". In these areas, the recommendations on chemicals environmental monitoring could become a base for the establishment of new monitoring programmes.

= - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - =

http://www.chem.unep.ch/gmn/
Global Network for Monitoring of Chemicals in the Environment

The Stockholm Convention on POPs and other international agreements state that monitoring activities should be established to verify the effective implementation of the conventions and the decrease of environmental levels of persistent pollutants. Some monitoring activities are already in place but, as different methodologies are used, the data is often uncomparable.

UNEP Chemicals is therefore launching the project "Global Network for monitoring of Chemicals in the Environment", a project that aims to create an electronic forum and working group on the harmonisation of methodologies and analyses of chemicals in the environment. 

The project will initially focus on the twelve POPs subject of the Stockholm Convention and will enlarge its scope to other chemicals that will be considered as priorities by the international community. With the "Global Network for monitoring of Chemicals in the Environment", UNEP Chemicals hosts a discussion group on monitoring issues where existing programs and laboratories are invited to participate and share their experience on this subject. 

The discussion group is divided into six main topics such as project design, sampling, data processing and other monitoring issues. This web site will host the information on national, regional and international monitoring programmes that are involved with chemical analyses of persistent pollutants. Through this site programmes and monitoring activities can directly sign in and become active members of the network. 

International and Regional Monitoring Activities 
http://www.chem.unep.ch/gmn/01_intregpro.htm

National Monitoring Programmes
http://www.chem.unep.ch/gmn/02_natpro.htm

Discussion Groups
http://www.chem.unep.ch/gmn/04_discgroups.htm

Pollutant Release & Transfer Registers (PRTR)
http://www.chem.unep.ch/prtr/default.htm

EXICHEM
http://www.olis.oecd.org/exichem.nsf

IPCS INCHEM on the WEB
http://www.inchem.org/

Regionally based assessment of Persistent Toxic Substances (PTS)
http://www.chem.unep.ch/pts/default.htm

UNEP POPs
http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/

Well Mr. Helliker, there would be no need to monitor POISONS in the environment if you "legally" allowed the use of safe and far more effective alternatives to actually control pest problems.   Arthur Schopenhauer once noted: "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."

Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten

---

If you would like to be included in our mailing list for continuing information on pesticides, please email us at list@safe2use.com.

TOP