United Nations Environment Programme - Stockholm Convention on ...

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Achievements to date
• 1993 – released National Strategy for
Management of Scheduled Wastes
• Strategy established three plans:
• Organochlorines pesticides (OCP)
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
• Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)
• 1987-1997 most POPs banned
• By 2001 - 5000 tonnes of PCBs removed and
destroyed
Future Priorities…cont’d
• Destroy 8,000 tonnes of HCB waste and
20,000 tonnes contaminated soil at Orica site,
Sydney
• Identify and ensure contaminated sites are
cleaned-up in an environmentally friendly
manner e.g cattle dip sites
• Develop mechanisms for monitoring POPs
• Continue assisting other countries in region
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Achievements to date…cont’d
• Removal of OCP from farms
• 1987-95 - 1400 tonnes
• 1999-02 - 140 tonnes (ChemCollect)
• Remediation of contaminated sites
• Homebush Bay (2000 Olympics site)
• 2001-04 - National Dioxins Program
Mirex
• Mirex is registered for use as termiticide (in
Northern Territory)
• Used as a bait in mango plantations
• Australia has registered an exemption under
Article 4
• Exemption to remain for up to 5 years (2009)
• NT Government undertaking research on
alternative to mirex
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Future Priorities
• Find alternative for mirex and remove
exemption under Article 4
• Development of by-products action plan
• Continue phase out of PCBs by 2009
• Destroy remaining stocks of OCPs (90
tonnes)
National Dioxins Program
• 2001-04 studies to determine background
levels of dioxins in:
– population (blood serum, breast milk)
– environment (air, soils, sediments, fauna)
– food and agricultural commodities
– emission sources (bushfires, motor vehicles)
Risk assessments – human and ecological
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