Global Restrictions on Chrysotile
The possibility of international trade controls on asbestos drew nearer as a United Nations agency confirmed plans to curb the sale of all forms of asbestos. These restrictions would be implemented under a program established by governments to address the problems caused by the use of toxic pesticides and hazardous chemicals. The Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure requires:
“exporters trading in a list of hazardous substances to obtain the prior informed consent of importers before proceeding with the trade. In 1998, governments decided to strengthen the procedure by adopting the Rotterdam Convention, which makes PIC legally binding. The Convention establishes a first line of defense by giving importing countries the tools and information they need to identify potential hazards and exclude chemicals they cannot mange safely.”2
The issue of asbestos was item 5(b) on the agenda of the March, 2003 meeting of the Interim Chemical Review Committee (ICRC) of the United National Environment Programme.3 On February 21, 2002, the ICRC had announced that: “All forms of asbestos should be added to an international list of chemicals subject to trade controls.” Before this could be done, however, a decision guidance document was required; over the last twelve months, work has been proceeding on this documentation and recommendations were submitted to the March meeting. The experts proposed that the trade in actinolite, anthophyllite, amosite, tremolite and chrysotile should be subject to regulatory procedures. These findings will be discussed in Geneva by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade in mid-November, 2003. Should there be agreement amongst the governments which are party to the Convention, asbestos consumption in the developing world is bound to fall. Having lost many Western markets, this could be the final nail in the coffin of a moribund industry.
March 15, 2003
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1 See also the article: United Nations Supports Restrictions on Asbestos.
2See website: http://www.pic.int/
3This committee met in Rome from March 3-7, 2003.
