Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs) |
RESOLUTION
Seminar 27-28 February 2003
Introduction
The International Seminar on the Impact of Persistent
Organic Pollutants (POPs) on Human Health (Chapaevsk, 27-28 February 2003) gathered 64
participants, including the representatives of international organizations (UNEP Chemicals
Unit, International POPs Elimination Network), Ministry of Natural Resources, Institute of
National Economy Forecasting at the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as international
and regional non-governmental organizations.
The town of Chapaevsk, Samara region, is located 40 km
from Samara and is significantly polluted by chemicals. In the very beginning (in the
first years of Soviet time and in periods of industrialization), the town was designed as
a center for chemical industry. Issues of environmental and human safety were often
regarded as secondary ones. The activities of three chemical plants, which gave birth to
the town, resulted in accumulation of tremendous amount of chemicals with varying risk
level. These chemicals negatively influence on health of the population in Chapaevsk and
neighboring localities. The impact of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in the town is
among the most urgent environmental problems by virtue of extremely high pollution of all
natural (soil, water, air) and biological (cow milk, mother’s milk, blood of the
residents) components by these toxics.
The specific long-term impact of unsafe environmental situation in Chapaevsk resulted in
persistent changes in the health of its population. The data on morbidity rates available
through the official medical statistics and through special environmental and
epidemiological research in partnership with outstanding foreign institutions (Harvard
School of Public Health) indirectly confirm that the major factor in environmental
pollution in Chapaevsk is dioxins.
WE, THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR
ON THE IMPACT OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (POPs)
ON HUMAN HEALTH (Chapaevsk, 27-28 February 2003):
I.
Note a close relationship between the level of POPs pollution in the
environment and human health;
Consider that there is a need in additional and more specific data on
what impacts are caused by each toxic;
Draw attention to the difficulties in access to information on
environment and human health in the towns where armaments industry plays a major role and
in the large-scale industrial factories;
Support the idea to popularize the outcomes of research on health of the
population in POPs polluted areas;
II.
Express our support to the groups which act to eliminate and reduce
stockpiles of POPs and other toxics worldwide;
Express our support to the groups which stand out against the
technologies that lead to the formation of POPs, in particular, the waste incineration
technologies;
Express our support to NGOs and other groups which analyze the levels of
POPs in food;
Express our support to NGOs and other groups which identify and
eliminate stockpiles of POPs, including stockpiles of obsolete pesticides and industrial
chemicals, and call on the authorities to help these groups in data collection and
identification of stockpiles;
Express out support to the groups which raise awareness of the general
public, local authorities and businesses:
about the danger of POPs;
about the level of environmental pollution from POPs;
about POPs stockpiles, including stockpiles of obsolete pesticides;
about technologies for POPs destruction;
and on other issues connected with POPs pollution and POPs impact on health;
Recognize the need to organize informational meetings and workshops on
POPs pollution and impact on health with participation of experts from state authorities,
local authorities, businesses and NGOs.
III.
Support the action plan on chemicals of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development. At the same time, we believe that more specific targets and timeframes for
their implementation at national level are needed.
Call on the government of the Russian Federation to ratify the Stockholm
Convention on POPs in 2003;
Support the efforts of governmental bodies, non-governmental
organizations, science and business in the drafting of Russian national implementation
plan of Stockholm Convention on POPs and in the preparatory process;
Support the efforts of international organizations (GEF, UNEP, UN ECE,
WHO and others) to draft international instruments and agreements aimed at reduction of
environmental pollution by dangerous toxic substances and minimization of their impact on
human health;
Support the initiatives and projects of UNEP Chemicals, the Arctic
Council and other international organizations to support Russia in organizing an inventory
of POPs and obsolete pesticides in Russia;
Support the initiative of UNEP Chemicals to support Russia in setting up
pollutant release and transfer registers in the pilot regions to serve as a mechanism
which ensures public access to important environmental information;
Support the need for Russia to sign and ratify the Protocol on Pollutant
Release and Transfer Registers to the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public
Participation in
Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters;
THEREFORE, WE BELIEVE THAT THE FOLLOWING ISSUES ARE
IMPORTANT:
DEVELOPMENT OF LEGAL BASIS
To ask the Government of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Natural
Resources, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Ministry of Finances to
increase the funding of activities in Chapaevsk in the framework of the Federal Targeted
Programme “Environment and Natural Resources”. This is particularly needed since the
Federal Targeted Programme on social and economic rehabilitation of the territory and
protection of public health in the town of Chapaevsk, approved by the Government of
Russian Federation in 1997, was revoked in 2001. Despite intense appeals by the leadership
of the region, the federal budget of 2003 allocates only 3 mln. rubles for the
construction of anti-flood dam, though originally the Federal Targeted Programme provided
for 1750 mln. rubles from federal and regional budgets.
Launch of the new environmentally safe water pumping facility for
drinking water supply “Poimennyi-2”;
Reconstruction of the anti-flood dam in the town;
Restoration of soils in urban areas;
Implementation of integrated medical and preventive measures for the
residents of Chapaevsk.
To ask Russian Health Ministry to draft, in the framework of federal
programmes for the protection of maternity and childhood, special programmes aimed at the
reduction of harmful impact of POPs on vulnerable groups, primarily women and children.
INVENTORY AND MONITORING OF POLLUTION
To ask the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources to provide Chapaevsk
Specialized Inspection of Analytic Control with necessary equipment for efficient analytic
control over pollution of water, air and soil;
To ask non-governmental organizations of Chapaevsk to organize regular
public environmental monitoring of the development and implementation of projects in the
factories of Chapaevsk aimed at the reduction of POPs pollution in the town and vicinity;
To ask the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources to organize an
inventory of POPs sources in Chapaevsk and other municipalities of Samara region and to
create, on the basis of these data, an integrated regional database with free public
access;
FOOD SECURITY
To ask the Health Ministry of Russian Federation to include the
assessment of soil and food products pollution by dioxins in Chapaevsk into the National
Environment and Health Action Plan;
To ask the Ministry of Natural Resources, Russian Hydro Meteorological
Service and Administration of Samara region to ensure systematic monitoring of dioxins,
PCBs and DDT in the drinking water and food products in Chapaevsk;
To provide organized groups of children in the town of Chapaevsk, in
particular from poor families, with full nutrition, including the necessary amounts of
protein and vitamins.
To work out an action program to renew soils at the garden slots of
Chapaevsk taking into account information about their contamination.
To recommend to the enterprises of Chapaevsk, based on the Law of Samara
region “On environmental protection and use of resources in Samara region”, to enter
into agreements with Town Administration in relation to the fulfillment of environmental
interests of population with particular attention to the rehabilitation of polluted areas
in the vicinity of factories in Chapaevsk.
“VOLGOPROMCHIM LIMITED” AS A MAJOR SOURCE OF
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION BY DIOXINS IN CHAPAEVSK
AWARENESS STRATEGY
Administrations of towns in Samara region together with non-governmental
organizations should jointly develop an awareness strategy to accumulate and actively
disseminate the information on POPs;
To recommend to the Administration of Chapaevsk, big enterprises,
including “VolgoPromchim Limited” to organize regular meetings with representatives of
the public to inform them on the implementation of programmes aimed at reduction of
environmental pollution from POPs;
To recommend the Administration of Chapaevsk Town and the Center for
State Epidemiological Control in Chapaevsk to analyze the options and necessity for
developing of a local pollutant release and transfer register in Chapaevsk;
DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATION WITH REGIONS OF RUSSIA AND
WITH OTHER COUNTRIES
To recommend to the Administration of Samara region and non-governmental
organizations to strengthen cooperation with international organizations in order to
address specific problems connected with reduction of pollution by POPs and other toxics
in the region; to pay prior attention to the cooperation with UNEP Chemicals and the
International POPs Elimination Network;
To ask UNEP Chemicals and the International POPs Elimination Network to
organize in Chapaevsk a seminar on the methods for detoxication of dioxin-polluted
materials and for the restoration of soils polluted with dioxins;
To strengthen cooperation with organizations that deal with POPs issues
in the New Independent States, in particular with organizations that occupy with raising
awareness on POPs, chemical safety, the impact of pesticides (including pesticides which
are POPs) on health, and the destruction of stockpiles of obsolete pesticides in
environmentally safe ways.
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