The Chemical Review Committee finalises draft decision guidance documents for chemicals recommended to be listed under Annex III to the Convention at the next Conference of the Parties.
The 20th meeting of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC-20) of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade convened in Rome, Italy, from 17 to 20 September 2024. Held at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CRC-20 adopted draft decision guidance documents for chlorpyrifos and mercury, chemicals recommended to be listed in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention.
CRC-20 was chaired by Ms. Noluzuko Gwayi from South Africa, leading the intense deliberations among 28 government-designated experts. 65 observers representing 22 governments, and 11 non-governmental organisations also participated in the meeting. The Committee had a busy agenda with 39 notifications of final regulatory actions for its review, an unprecedented number of notifications, as well as four proposals for severely hazardous pesticide formulations.
The CRC experts finalised two draft decision guidance documents on chlorpyrifos and mercury, chemicals that were recommended for listing in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention at the Committee’s nineteenth meeting. These decision guidance documents, essentially “information packages”, set out the scope of the chemical controlled under the Convention and contain basic information on the chemical including hazard classification and information on possible alternatives. They are key tools designed to assist countries to decide if they want to import a chemical or not. If they choose to import, they have information to use the chemical safely.
The recommendations by the Committee on the listing of chlorpyrifos, mercury made at the current meeting, as well as the recommendations for methyl bromide and paraquat made at previous meetings, together with the related draft decision guidance documents, will be considered during the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention (COP-12), which will be held from 28 April to 9 May 2025 in Geneva. Should COP-12, based on the recommendations of the Committee, decide to amend Annex III to the Convention to list these chemicals, they will become subject to the Prior Informed Consent procedure, which promotes among the 166 Parties to the Rotterdam Convention shared responsibility and cooperative efforts in international trade to protect human health and the environment.
Chlorpyrifos is an insecticide widely used in agriculture. It is a highly toxic organophosphate insecticide known to have adverse effects on the nervous system, posing significant health risks, particularly to children and pregnant women.
Mercury is used in particular in small-scale artisanal gold mining, as well as products such as lamps, batteries, medical and measuring devices and dental amalgam. It is a toxic heavy metal that, when absorbed into the human body, can cause severe neurological and developmental issues, as well as harm to the kidneys, lungs, and other vital organs. Mercury is already subject to global regulation through the Rotterdam Convention as a pesticide, as well as through the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which aims to mitigate and reduce its environmental and human health impacts.
Methyl bromide, historically used as a soil fumigant and pest control agent in agriculture, is known for its high toxicity to humans and the environment. Due to its adverse environmental impacts and ozone-depleting properties, methyl bromide has been listed as a controlled substance under the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, leading to efforts to phase out its production and use worldwide.
Paraquat is widely used as a herbicide to control weeds in agriculture. Paraquat is highly toxic, primarily affecting the lungs, skin, and other internal organs, with ingestion or inhalation leading to severe health risks, including pulmonary fibrosis and organ failure.
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Rotterdam Convention promotes shared responsibility and facilitates cooperative efforts among its Parties to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of hazardous chemicals and pesticides.
The Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS Secretariat) brings together the three leading multilateral environmental agreements that share the common objective of protecting human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals and wastes. http://www.brsmeas.org/
For information on the Rotterdam Convention, contact: Christine Fuell, Executive Secretary a.i. of the Rotterdam Convention, christine.fuell@fao.org
For media inquiries, contact: Maria Cristina Cardenas, Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor of the BRS Secretariat, maria-cristina.cardenas@un.org