Cotton pesticide on trade watch-list

Two potentially hazardous chemicals, including a pesticide used widely on cotton, have been included in the "watch list" for international trade that requires prior consent of the importing country before being shipped.

These include endosulfan, one of the popular farm pesticides, and tributyl tin compounds (TBTs).

The action on these pesticides has been taken by an international committee of experts under the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent (PIC) on global trade in hazardous chemicals.

The Rotterdam Convention, jointly supported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), enables its member governments to benefit from the experiences and mistakes of others by promoting transparency and information sharing about potential risks to human health and the environment.

Any trade in the pesticides and industrial chemicals included in the prior consent list under this Convention must first be agreed upon by the governments of the importing countries before the dispatch of the cargos.

This gives the countries, especially the developing countries, the power to decide which potentially hazardous chemicals or pesticides they want to receive. They can refuse the others which they cannot manage safely.

Endosulfan that has now been added to the trade watch list is widely used in India and other countries, particularly for cotton, and also for other crops like paddy and sugarcane.

It has been recommended for inclusion in the list on the grounds that it poses unacceptable risks to workers and to the environment, according to a statement issued by the FAO in Rome today.

TBTs include the chemicals which are used in anti-fouling paints for ship hulls. They cause concern because they tend to enter the marine environment, particularly in enclosed harbours, where they are toxic to fish, molluscs and other organisms.

The recommendations of the experts committee would be put up for approval of the member countries of the Rotterdam Convention when they meet in Rome in 2008 for their biannual Conference.

About 70 000 different chemicals are currently available in the markets around the world. Besides, some 1500 new chemicals are introduced every year. This can pose a major challenge to regulators charged with monitoring and managing these potentially dangerous substances.

There is growing concern over the hazards posed by these chemicals as many pesticides that have been banned or severely restricted in industrialised countries are still marketed and used in developing countries.

These are often sold to farmers who lack the equipment and knowledge to use them safely, resulting in large numbers of health problems and even deaths.

Also, stockpiles of obsolete or unwanted chemicals and pesticides are accumulating in many countries. These would require vast sums of money to dispose up in a safe manner.

The Rotterdam Convention makes the pesticides exporting countries responsible for ensuring that no exports leave their territory when an importing country has decided not to accept a particular chemical or pesticide.

By doing so, the Convention helps governments to improve their national capacity for chemicals management, avoid environmental and health tragedies and minimise cleaning-up costs of obsolete chemicals.

It also encourages the chemicals industry to identify and promote safer alternatives.