Post on April 26, 2019

From April 29 to May 10, representatives of countries from around the world will meet for the ninth Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention (COP9). The gathering, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, is organized by the United Nations Environment Programme in pursuit of several chemical-safety related goals.

Among these are regulating “international trade of certain hazardous chemicals,” contributing to “the environmentally sound use of those hazardous chemicals,” and facilitating “information exchange” about these chemicals worldwide. These hopes dovetail into one final goal: “to protect human health and the environment from potential harm.”

Unfortunately, because of one particularly hazardous chemical – which seems to be profitable enough to outweigh its deadliness – it is almost certain that the Convention will fail to live up to its goals. For the seventh time in a row, COP9 appears slated to protect chrysotile asbestos from direly needed international regulation.

In the past, countries like Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe and Syria have all moved to prevent chrysotile from being subject to “Prior Informed Consent procedure,” or “PIC” for short. All six types of asbestos are carcinogenic, but chrysotile is the only type of asbestos not included under PIC procedures. By doing this, these countries allow a known carcinogen to be traded internationally without requiring that its deadly characteristics be made known.

“While they dither, a quarter of a million people will die from asbestos-related diseases” said Andrew Dettmer, National President of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union.

The countries are making use of the “Anything But Chrysotile” defense. In direct contradiction of worldwide medical consensus, they seek to prove that chrysotile is a safe form of asbestos so they can continue to profit from its mining and trade.

ADAO has signed onto an open letter to the Convention’s delegates criticizing the likely outcome of the conference. Joining dozens of organizations and advocates from 30 countries, we demand that the Convention Parties support subjecting chrysotile to PIC regulations.

We also seek reform in the decision making process of the Convention itself. These profit-seeking nations are only able to block proper chrysotile regulation because a “consensus” vote is needed for classifying it properly. But, by requiring a 75% majority vote for PIC approval, as the open letter calls for, we would be able to properly classify chrysotile and save lives.

At its core, this issue boils down to a truth that ADAO has been frequently fighting for recently: the right to know about chemicals and products that can cause us harm. We launched a formal petition in September of last year demanding exactly that of the Environmental Protection Agency. We wanted the Agency to conduct surveys of asbestos use and imports in the United States, so the public could make informed decisions about the products it buys. When that challenge failed, we were joined by a coalition of like-minded public health groups in suing the EPA to cooperate.

ADAO supports this same goal internationally as well. We send our best wishes to all of our partner organizations who will be making their voices heard at the gathering in Geneva. We send special support to the Asian Ban Asbestos Mission 2019, who will be voicing their concerns about Brazilian exports of asbestos worldwide.

It is reprehensible that Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe, and Syria have used propaganda and junk science to block chrysotile asbestos from being added to the Rotterdam Conventions list of hazardous substances. That they intend to do it again is unconscionable.It is time we recognize the dangers of all forms of asbestos, and keep public health safe from the deadly mineral.

In solidarity, 

Linda Reinstein
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