Three chemical products used in the industrial production of vehicles, household goods and articles of daily use, as well as in agriculture, must be eliminated due to their proven toxic impact on fish and after verifying that they can travel enormous distances on a planetary scale, and that they already are found in the human body.
The decision was made at an international conference held in Geneva and attended by delegates from 180 governments to evaluate the application of the Stockholm, Roterdam and Basel conventions, the largest global agreements for the management of polluting chemicals and waste.
One of the chemicals that will have to be left behind is methoxychlordeveloped as a substitute for the pesticide DDT against different types of insects, including flies, mosquitoes, larvae, cockroaches and certain types of mites present on farmland, fruits, vegetables or ornamental plants, as well as on farm animals and pets.
“It is known to be highly toxic to invertebrates and fish, and as an endocrine disruptor. It has been detected in the environment, in the fauna and flora of the Arctic and Antarctic, very far from where it is produced and used.”, explained to the press the head of the Secretariat of the UN that manages the treaties, Rolph Payet.
He methoxychlor has also been foundin human fluids, adipose tissue, cord blood, and breast milk“, revealed.
The conference also agreed to stop the use of chemicals dechlorane plus (flame retardant) and UV-328 (absorber of ultraviolet rays).
Both chemicals are widely used in the automotive, machinery, and medical tool industries.
In compliance with the Stockholm Convention, these products will have to be replaced by the industry, as has been done in the past with chemicals called PFAS, used in non-stick pans and saucepans, but also found to be toxic.
Referring to dechlorane and to UV-328Payet maintained that “now, with this decision, the industry must begin to reduce the use of these chemicals in furniture and accessories, in curtains and other products present in homes”.
Source: EFE
Source: Gestion
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