Toxic chemicals highly polluting the
Mediterranean:environmental NGOs call Mediterranean states for urgent action
(ENN, Nov 14, 2003)
According
to the UNEP's Assessment of Transboundary Pollution Issues in the Mediterranean
sea, every year about 55 tons of lindane - a substance forbidden within the EU
in the early 90s - are poured in the sea. Lindane is one of the so-called POPs
(persistent organic pollutants). POPs refer to the group of 12 extremely toxic
pesticides and industrial chemicals including PCBs, dioxins, and DDT. Reported
consequences of these substances induce cancerogenous, immunodepressant and
endocrine disruption processes in both animal and human beings.
"The data provided by the UNEP gives for the first time a complete picture
of the threats posed to marine life and humans in the mare nostrum. The
presence of highly polluting substances in the Mediterranean is all the more
dangerous as it is an enclosed sea where almost a century is needed to renew
the water", has declared Paolo Guglielmi, Head of the Marine Unit at WWF
Mediterranean.
As far as the responsibility of Mediterranean countries is concerned, according
to the UNEP report's estimates, France would be the country which has released
the highest amounts of chlorinated pesticides, except for lindane, in the
Mediterranean. Italy holds second position behind France in the production of
dioxins, followed by Spain, Greece and Portugal. The study shows that
approximately two-thirds of the dioxins come from industrial activities. Even
if the quantity of dioxins may have decreased over the last years, France would
have emitted between 804 and 949 tons in 2000, against 1,300 in 1995.
Italy ranks first in sea pollution by heavy metals such as lead, cadmium,
copper and zinc, releasing 30% of the total of these substances found in the
Mediterranean Sea, which means 2,174 tons of lead (against 944 by Spain and 868
by France); 30 tons of cadmium (14 by Spain and 12 by France); 8,576 tons of
copper (2,220 by Turkey and 1,950 by Serbia); 1,949 tons of zinc (1,804 by
Serbia and 1,310 by France) produced annually by Italy. As for mercury, the
most dangerous heavy metal for the environment and human health, 13 tons were
released in the Mediterranean by Italy and Greece each, 18 by Spain and 17 by
France in 1999.
The implementation of the LBS protocol would prevent such high emissions of
organic pollutants and is ready to be put in place since 1996. In a joint
petition presented today to the 21 Mediterranean Ministers and delegates, 16
environmental NGOs stress that though efforts of most Mediterranean countries
to implement the LBS Protocol are appreciated, Algeria, Bosnia &
Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Serbia Montenegro and Syria
still have to ratify the Protocol. Of these countries, only 3 signatures are
needed to allow the LBS Protocol to be legally binding for the Mediterranean
countries which have adopted the Barcelona Convention. The NGOs urge these
countries to proceed as soon as possible and not later than the next 6 months,
in order to allow this legislative framework to enter into force.
"The Mediterranean states can no longer ignore the quantity of accumulated
toxics poured in their Sea. The legal instrument exists and we urge governments
to make it operational through the full ratification of the LBS Protocol. 80%
of Mediterranean sea pollution comes from land and POPs are the most dangerous
of the threats", added Paolo Guglielmi.
For further information:
Chantal Ménard, Communications department, WWF Mediterranean,
Tel : +39 06 844 97 417 - e-mail : cmenard@wwfmedpo.org
NGOs who have signed the petition
? Amici per la Vita - Italy
? CEDIP - Italy
? Clean up Greece
? Friends of the Earth
? Greenpeace
? HELMEPA - Greece
? IEF
? Marevivo - Italy
? MEDASSET - Greece
? MIO - ECSDE
? Mouvement Ecologique Algerien
? OCOME - Tunisia
? SAD AFAG - Turkey
? SPNI - Israel
? UNASD - Lebanon
? WWF
Notes to Editors
The Barcelona Convention is the legal framework of the MAP, adopted by the
Mediterranean States and the EC in Barcelona in 1975 under the auspices of the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Barcelona Convention was then
revised in 1995 to give a legal status to the commitments made by the countries
attending the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio.
So far, only 8 countries (Croatia, Egypt, France, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Spain
and Tunisia) and the
European Union have ratified the amendments adopted in 1995. Ratification from
other 7 Mediterranean countries is needed for the amendments to enter into
force.
Since 1975, the so called Barcelona system has given rise to six legal
initiatives or Protocols that are binding legal instruments addressing specific
aspects of environmental protection.
The LBS Protocol is one of the six Protocols of the Barcelona Convention and
its general obligations include the following points:
"1. The Parties undertake to eliminate pollution deriving from land-based
sources and activities, in particular to phase out inputs of the substances that
are toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate.
2. To this end, they shall elaborate and implement, individually or jointly, as
appropriate, national and regional action plans and programmes, containing
measures and timetables for their implementation.
3. The priorities and timetables for implementing the action plans, programmes
and measures shall be adopted by the Parties shall be periodically reviewed.
4. When adopting action plans, programmes and measures, the Parties shall take
into account, either individually or jointly, the best available techniques and
the best environmental practice including, where appropriate, clean production
technologies.
5. The Parties shall take preventive measures to reduce to the minimum the risk
of pollution caused by accidents".