Document rpqOj7MzkbZRR4jjOR3nXz17E

M ai6 J b/ UNEP U nited N ations Environm ent Program m e {a PROGRAMME DES NATIONS UNIES POUR L'ENVIRONNEMENT * PROGRAMA DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS PARA E l MEDIO AMBIENTE n POTPAMMA OPrAHUSAUH^ 0&-bEflMHEHHWX HAUH* TIO OKPYOKAlCHUEW CPEfiE Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants International Environment House 11-13, chemin des Anmones CH - 1219 Chtelaine Geneva, Switzerland Telephone: +41 22 917 81 70 Facsimile: +41 22 797 34 60 E-mail: ssc@pops.int Webpage: www.pops.int Geneva, 18 November 2005 Subject: Invitation to submit information specified in Annex E of the Stockholm Convention to the POPs Review Committee Dear Madam or Sir, The first meeting of the Stockholm Convention Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee took place on 7 11 November 2005 in Geneva. The report of the meeting will be available shortly at the Convention web site (www.pops.int/documents/meetings/poprc/). The Committee had before it proposals, which were submitted for its consideration by Parties to the Convention, for the addition to Annexes A, B and/or C of the Convention of the following five chemicals: Pentabromodiphenyl ether (proposed by Norway) Chlordecone (proposed by the European Communities and the Member States that are Parties to the Convention) Hexabromobiphenyl (proposed by the European Communities and the Member States that are Parties to the Convention) Lindane (proposed by Mexico) Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) (proposed by Sweden) In accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 8 of the Convention, the Committee examined the proposals and applied the screening criteria in Annex D of the Convention in a flexible and transparent way. With regard to all five chemicals the Committee decided that it was satisfied that the screening criteria had been fulfilled and that further work should therefore be undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the Convention. The next step in the process is to prepare a risk profile for each of the five chemicals to, as noted in Annex E, "evaluate whether the chemical is likely, as a result of its long-rang environmental transport, to lead to significant adverse human health and/or environmental effects, such that global action is warranted". The risk profile shall further evaluate and elaborate on the information referred to in Annex D and include, as far as possible, the information listed in Annex E. A draft outline of the risk profile has been developed by the Committee (available at www.pops.int/documents/meetings/poprc/). As provided for by the Convention, the risk profile will take into account information to be submitted by Parties and observers. What information is required? You are invited to submit information specified in Annex E according to the guidance provided in this letter. The POPs Review Committee needs information that is supplementary to the information in the proposal for inclusion in Annexes A, B and/or C of the chemical in question and in the evaluation of the screening criteria by the Committee. The proposals and the evaluations are available at the Convention web site (www.pops.int/documents/meetings/poprc/). In addition, the Committee identified the following specific areas where information and data regarding the chemicals under consideration would be particularly useful for the future process. Lindane Existence of large quantities of stocks and stockpiles of lindane Information on the possible isomerization of gamma isomers of HCH to alpha and beta isomers 000216 Secretariat o f the Stockholm Convention P-2 page 2 PFOS Information about the identification of the potential precursors and about their degradation and transformation rates into PFOS. Recent research findings on all aspects of PFOS and its potential precursors. Historical and recent data on production and use of PFOS and potential precursors. If, on the basis of the risk profile, the Committee decides that global action is warranted for a chemical, it will proceed to develop a risk management evaluation. This will include an analysis of the possible control measures as well as the socio-economic considerations, and at that stage information relating to socio-economic considerations (Annex F) will be requested from Parties and observers. How to submit information? A form is provided to facilitate the submission of information (attached in English and available in the five other official UN languages at www.pops.int/documents/meetings/poprc/). Please provide a summary of the information in the form and clear and precise references for each source. Without the exact source of the information, the Committee will not be able to use it. If the information is not readily available in the public literature, you may consider attaching the original source of the information to the submission. Please indicate clearly on the form which chemical the information concerns and use one form per chemical. Information is not required to be submitted for all five chemicals and you do not have to fill in all the boxes on the form. Please note that the size of the boxes will adjust to the amount of text inserted and, thus, a completed form may be longer that the current four pages. Attached to this letter is a supplementary set of explanatory notes to the form that was developed by the Committee. Concerning the submission of confidential information, please note the provisional confidentiality arrangements agreed by the Committee and provisionally available at the web site. The work plan of the Committee is very tight, and it would therefore be helpful if information can be submitted as soon as possible but no later than 27 January 2006. It would be prefered if information would be submitted in English as this would facilitate its use by the Committee. However, information provided in other UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish and Russian) may be translated for use by the Committee but in such cases information should be submitted by 27 December 2005. The information should be submitted to the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention, preferably by email. Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention Att: POPs Review Committee United Nations Environment Programme 11-13 chemin des Anemones CH-1219, Chatelaine, Geneva, Switzerland Fax: (+41 22) 797 34 60 E-mail: ssc@pops.int If you have any questions regarding this request or you would like to receive hard copies of the documents from the POPs Review Committee, please do not hesitate to contact Sofie Flensborg, Stockholm Convention Secretariat (e-mail: sofie.flensborg@unep.ch: telephone +41 22 917 81 70). I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, John A. Buccini Acting Executive Secretary 000217 P-3 Format for submitting pursuant to Article 8 of the Stockholm Convention the information specified in Annex E of the Convention Introductory information Name of the submitting Party/observer Contact details (name, telephone, e-mail) of the submitting Party/observer Chemical name (as used by the POPS Review Committee (POPRC)) Date of submission (a) Sources, including as appropriate (provide summary information and relevant references) (i) Production data: Quantity Location Other (ii) Uses (iii) Releases: Discharges Losses Emissions Other (b) Hazard assessment for endpoints of concern, including consideration of toxicological interactions involving multiple chemicals (provide summary information and relevant references) K0582396 290705 For reasons of economy, this document is printed in a limited number. Delegates are kindly requested to bring their copies to meetings and not to request additional copies. 000218 P-4 UNEP/POPS/POPRC.l/4 (c) Environmental fate (provide summary information and relevant references) Chemical/physical properties Persistence How are chemical/physical properties and persistence linked to environmental transport, transfer within and between environmental compartments, degradation and transformation to other chemicals? Bio-concentration or bio accumulation factor, based on measured values (unless monitoring data are judged to meet this need) (d) Monitoring data (provide summary information and relevant references) (e) Exposure in local areas (provide summary information and relevant references) - general - as a result of long-range environmental transport - information regarding bio availability 2 000219 P-5 DNEP/POPS/POPRC.l/4 000220* P-6 Explanatory notes to the form for submission of information specified in Annex E for use by the POPS Review Committee In filling In the form please provide, where possible and relevant, information of sufficient detail to inform scientific considerations of the Committee in preparing the risk profile, emphasizing information on study methods, tissue concentrations for comparative purposes, and citations, including, if possible, original copies of papers not readily available in the public literature. If the information is not peer-reviewed, it may still be useful for the Committee (a) Sources 1. Provide units for the data. 2. Historical data and trend data regarding production and uses. 3. Information regarding imports and exports. (b) Hazard assessment for the endpoints of concern 1. Only information regarding the most important endpoints of concern need to be provided. 2. Data on human toxicity and ecotoxicity would be particularly helpful. (c) Environmental fate 1. Other information, including long-range environmental transport modelling data. (d) Monitoring data 1. If possible, provide additional monitoring data with indication of the data quality or the level of confidence. 2. Trend data. 3. Additional data related to the criteria in Annex D, especially where relevant to persistence, bio-accumulation and long-range environmental transport, as well as exposure. Please compare with the Annex D evaluation by the Committee (www.pops.int/...) 4. Environmental monitoring data and exposure data. (e) Exposure in local areas 1. Data regarding areas remote from sources of the chemical. 2. Data related to human health as well as wildlife. 3. Experimental or modelling data indicating possible long-range transport. 4. Occupational exposure data. (f) National and international risk evaluations etc. 1. Rationale (assessment information) for regulation on toxic chemicals. 2. National and international risk evaluations prepared by Governments, inter-governmental organizations, regional economic integration organizations and non-governmental organizations (g) Status of the chemical under international conventions 1. Only information regarding instruments other than the most well-known ones should be submitted (see document UNEP/POPS/POPRC.1/INF/10). Additional information may also be submitted that is relevant for the evaluation of the chemical by the Committee but which does not fall within the above categories. 000221