1. GHS and the Rotterdam/ Stockholm Convention and ILO Chemicals Convention 170 GHS Stocktaking Workshop For Southeast, East and Central Asia 15-17 September 2010 Beijing, People’s Republic of China REINER ARNDT, UNITAR

2. Priorities for sound management of chemicals Banned, restricted Chemicals 100s + (POP, Montreal, PIC) chemical specific action Hazardous chemicals (list?) 1000s + (GHS) hazard/risk specific prevention/protection strategies All chemicals (inventory?) 10000s + general pollution prevention/protection strategies 2

3. Rotterdam Convention (RC) on Banned and Severely Restricted Chemicals (PIC)  Banned chemicals/pesticides (2 countries, 2 regions), severely hazardous pesticide formulations  Prior Consent Procedure (PIC) List annex III, expert committee CRC, decision guidance documents, national import decision based on regulation, control of export (exporting countries)  Information with chemical (C/L, SDS for export)  Information about chemical (Designated national authority DNA: export notification, notification of national ban or severe restriction)  Technical assistance (bilateral, no fund) 3

4. Rotterdam Convention: 40 chemicals in Annex III  Pesticides (25) for example: Aldrin, dinitro-ortho-cresol and its salts, 1,2-dibromoethane, mercury compounds, monocrotophos, tributyltin compounds  Severely hazardous formulations (4) for example: Methamidophos, phosphamidon (liquid formulations)  Industrial chemicals (11) for example: Asbestos: crocidolite, actinolite, anthophyllite, amosite, tremolite; PCB, tetraethyl lead, Tris (2,3- dibromopropyl) phosphate  Chemicals proposed for listing Chrysotile asbestos, Endosulfan 4

5. GHS in Rotterdam Convention  Obligation to provide GHS C/L for Annex III chemicals and nationally banned or severely restricted chemicals - with export of chemicals (art 13, para 2) - with yearly export notifications (art 12 para 1) - with notification of regulatory action (art 5, 6) use (as practical) official language of importing party  Obligation to provide safety data sheet (art 13 para 3) - with export of chemicals for occupational purposes  Obligatory C/L, safety data sheet (occupational use) for export strong driver to implement GHS nationally  Recommendation Parties may require same C/L for (art 13 para 3) exported chemicals as for hazardous chemicals on their market (GHS) 5

6. Rotterdam Convention and GHS implementation  GHS implementation for RC (examples) International agreed list (UNECEGHS subcommittee) on GHS classification and labelling of - annex III chemicals in trade - nationally banned/severely restricted chemicals Safety data sheets examples (from international industry associations), GHS examples for annex III chemicals in trade (from exporting parties) on clearinghouse website RC  GHS implementation through RC Build on structures and processes developed for RC implementation (national synergies), customs control 6

7. Stockholm Convention (SC) on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP)  Produced POPs (industrial chemicals, pesticides), unintentionally produced POPs (one proposal from one country)  Lifecycle management Ban, restriction of trade, release reduction, manage stockpiles, waste, contaminated sites  List of POPs, expert committee POPRC, new listed POPs, no new developed POPs  National focal point, information exchange  National implementation plans  Awareness, R&D, reporting, monitoring  Technical assistance (GEF Fund) 7

8. Global Impact of POPs  POPs are organic chemicals that are halogenated with chlorine and bromine and very persistent in the environment  Local release to soil, water, air (risks - local exposure)  Persistence (ghost out of the bottle, remains in the environment)  Semi volatile, long range transport with distribution in soil, sediment, water, air  Deposit in receiving media (how achieve protection far from release?)  Bioaccumulation (Kow) and Biomagnification therefore  Relevant concentrations at end of food chain: risks to man, wildlife, biodiversity, time trends (impact of global warming?) 8

9. Stockholm Convention: 21 chemicals  Original 12 POPs “dirty dozen” Pesticides: aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, toxaphene Chemicals: hexachlorobenzene, PCBs By products: hexachlorobenzene, PCDDs/PCDFs, PCBs  9 new POPs - Pesticides: chlordecone, alpha HCH, beta HCH, lindane (gamma HCH), pentachlorobenzene Chemicals: hexabromobiphenyl, hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether, pentachlorobenzene, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride, tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether By products: pentachlorobenzene  POPs discussed in POPRC: HBCD, SCCP, Endosulfan 9

10. Stockholm Convention and GHS  GHS (elements) in Stockholm Convention: banned chemicals, export/import allowed for exemptions/ acceptable purposes with GHS C/L GHS hazard classification in risk evaluation (POPRC) SC label requirement for chemicals in products (PCB transformers), products not covered by GHS  GHS implementation for SC (see also RC) International agreed list on GHS classification and labelling of chemicals in Annexes A and B  GHS implementation through SC Build on structures and processes developed for SC implementation (national synergies), customs control 10

11. Key elements of ILO Chemicals Convention (No.170) National policy on chemical safety Classification systems Labelling and marking Chemical safety data sheets Responsibility of suppliers Responsibility of employers Duties and rights of workers 11

12. ILO Convention 170 and the GHS GHS follow-up to the adoption of ILO 170 (1990) Work under the IOMC, focal points being ILO, OECD and UN SCTDG (1992-2002) GHS provides harmonised tools for chemical hazard communication for workplace, transport, consumers and environment Designed to cover all chemicals, including mixtures Harmonised and universal non-binding standard Facilitate trade in chemicals and ease global information exchange of hazards of toxic chemicals and preventive measures 12

13. ILO chemical control toolkit Scheme for Workplace Chemicals Control Kit designed for SMEs in (developing) countries Generic risk assessment based on GHS and task guidance sheets Aim is to provide simple and practical means to prevent/reduce risks of chemicals in the work place Elements: Hazard classification, scale of use, ability to become airborne, finding the control approach, finding the task-specific control guidance sheet(s) Does not cover process generated dusts and fumes 13

14. Thank you! Chemicals and Waste Management Programme United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Palais des Nations 12-11 Geneva 10 Tel: +41 22 917 1234 Fax: +41 22 917 8047 Email: reiner.arndt@unitar.org