Commission for Environmental Cooperation Sound Management of Chemicals Initiative Updates on Current Activities 2008

New Direction This new direction focuses on 4 areas: 1.Establish a foundation for chemicals management across North America 2.Develop and implement a sustainable regional approach to monitoring 3.Reduce the risk from chemicals of mutual concern to North American 4.Improve environmental performance of sectors Improve overall Outreach and Engagement

Establishing a Foundation SMOC Mexican chemicals inventory –Consideration of Canadian and USA systems –Strategic team in place –Gaps analysis, criteria development –Partner with UK support Links to Leaders Summit, Montebello –Security and Prosperity Partnership Chemicals management initiative

Establishing a Foundation EM&A Preparation of guidance document for trilateral bio-monitoring exercises –Sampling, analysis, data management –Inter-laboratory verification QA/QC exercises for blood POPs analysis –Build on 2006 initiative

Sustainable Regional Monitoring Focus on compatible, comparable information and sustainable networks –Report on trilateral monitoring initiatives –Grey Literature Synthesis report –PRONAME in Mexico Tri-national Blood Biomonitoring report NARAP assessment report

Sustainable Regional Monitoring Improving ability/building capacity to monitor in a comparable and reliable manner and to assess impacts; Quality Assurance/Quality Control; –Sampling/Chemical analysis and data reporting –Consistency, validity and comparability Help advance the Parties’ shared international objectives, –SAICM and SPP. –OECD, GRULAC, UNEP

Reducing Risk of Chemicals of Mutual Concern - SMOC NARAPs continue to be implemented –mercury –lindane Dioxins/Furans/HCB transition –from NARAP to Strategic Initiative –Implementation on-going PolyBrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE’s)

Mercury Action Plan Reassess priorities matrix and path forward Closure of NARAP in 2010 Mexican products inventory completed 2008 Linkage to UNEP partnership initiative Phase 3 of a project to reduce exposure from products in hospitals in Mexico, support project to speciate mercury at high level sites in Mexico

Lindane and Other HCH Isomers Approved by Council, November 2006 Implementation matrix priorities developed –Workshop on alternatives completed –Agricultural registrations ending –Inventories and current pharmaceutical uses Lindane nominated to POP’s Convention Dietary intake in Mexico –LifeLine™ project training materials – Lindane and Isomers in dairy products study NARAP closure proposed for 2016

Dioxins, Furans, HCB Transition - NARAP format to Strategic Program –Final version in fall 2008 Air monitoring network –9 sites in Mexico –Samplers from Canada –Operator training and Analysis by USA Workshop: emission factors; sampling/analysis –April 15, 17, 18, 2008 –Team meeting April 16

Dioxins, Furans, HCB Blood samples (serum) in Mexico –Part of blood biomonitoring work Values of TEQ appear to be about ½ of NHANES Risk assessment workshop –Next week, trainers from Canada Modelling workshop –Atmospheric modelling of Stockholm chemicals

Reducing Risks of Chemicals of Mutual Concern through EM&A Mercury project : –consolidation of several fish tissue data sets –Assessing risk of exposure, Lake Zapotlán watershed, Mexico Dioxins and furans: –training operators –emissions modeling workshop Lindane monitoring project: –dairy products

Reducing Risks of Chemicals of Mutual Concern PolyBrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE’s) –Used as flame retardants –Concern regarding persistence and presence in people and the environment –Three main mixtures: penta, octa, deca Penta and octa production ceased, and proposed for addition to Stockholm Efforts ongoing in Canada/USA on deca –Magnitude of issue to be determined in Mexico

Improving Sectoral Performance Electronics Sector –Linkage to trade –Two studies completed Needs of SME’s re: Chemical regulatory agenda Improved environmental design/waste management –Path forward based on horizontal integration Discussion among principles on options for aligning with PRTR, Trade & Environment

Outreach and Engagement SMOC WG has expressed a desire for more stakeholder involvement –Mechanisms and options to be elaborated –Greater communication –Greater feedback communication with various government agencies North American Chemicals Conference –Under consideration for 2009

Thank You Merci Gracias