Chemicals and Wastes

Abstract

There is an extensive but incomplete body of scientific knowledge on the impacts of chemicals and wastes on humans and the environment, with particular information and data gaps on the uses, emissions, exposure pathways and effects of chemicals. Global understanding of the complexity of properties and environmental impact of chemicals and wastes is therefore markedly deficient. The fourth Global Environment Outlook (2007) indicated that data were incomplete globally and that, for many regions, it was important to evaluate the magnitude of chemical contamination and its impacts on the environment and human health. But little has occurred since then. The UN Secretary-General, in his May 2011 report on policy options for waste management to the Commission on Sustainable Development, stated that: "the barriers to effective management and minimization include lack of data, information, and knowledge on waste scenarios". And the UN-Habitat report on waste management in cities stated that "waste reduction is desirable but, typically, it is not monitored anywhere" (UN-Habitat 2010).Over the last decade chemical production has shifted from the countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and other developing countries, accompanied by a doubling of sales and the development of many new types of chemical. The OECD´s share of world production is now 9 per cent less than in 1970. Much of this shift has been due to major emerging economies. In 2004, China accounted for the largest share of BRIC production at 48 per cent, followed by Brazil and India at 20 per cent each, and Russia at 12 per cent (OECD 2008b). Chemical consumption in developing countries is likewise growing much faster than in the developed world and could account for a third of global consumption by 2020.Chemicals play an important role in human life, economic development and prosperity, yet they can also have adverse impacts on the environment and human health. The diversity and potential consequences of such impacts, combined with limited capacity in developing countries and economies in transition to manage these impacts, make the sound management of chemicals and waste a key cross-cutting issue. A recent study by the World Health Organization (WHO) (Prüss-Ustün et al. 2011) indicated that 4.9 million deaths were attributable to environmental exposure to chemicals in 2004. In many regions, hazardous waste streams are mixed with municipal or solid wastes and then either dumped or burned in the open air (UN-Habitat 2010).Global chemical pollution is a serious threat to sustainable development and livelihoods. The problem has impacts on both humanity and ecosystems, and includes adverse effects from long-term exposure to low or sub-lethal concentrations of single chemicals or to mixtures of chemicals. Currently, more than 90 per cent of water and fish samples from aquatic environments are contaminated by pesticides. Estimates indicate that about 3 per cent of exposed agricultural workers suffer from an episode of acute pesticide poisoning every year (Thunduyil et al. 2008). Pollution with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is widespread, in particular affecting remote areas such as the Arctic and Antarctic.Emerging issues requiring better understanding and prompt action to prevent harm to health and the environment include the sound management of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste), endocrine-disrupting chemicals, plastics in the environment, open burning, and the manufacture and use of nanomaterials. E-waste has become one of the major environmental challenges of the 21st century: it is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world, estimated at 20-50 million tonnes per year (Schwarzer 2005). It is of particular interest because it contains not only hazardous substances- such as heavy metals including mercury and lead, and endocrine-disrupting substances such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) - but also many strategic metals such as gold, palladium and rare earth metals that can be recovered and recycled. Very little is known about whether nanomaterials or nanoparticles are released from products when they are incinerated, buried or degraded over time, so it is possible that they will pose a serious waste disposal challenge. Sound decision making on nanotechnology has provoked much debate among developed country regulators, and increasingly among the regulators of developing countries (Morris et al. 2010).Effective management of these issues requires better information gathering and integrated approaches to chemicals, radioactive materials and waste management, supported where appropriate by improved environmental governance. The process for greater cooperation and coordination between the chemicals and waste conventions (Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm) provides an opportunity to enhance awareness raising, knowledge transfer, capacity building and national implementation that should be further explored.