Key treaty to curb toxic chemicals finalized at UN-sponsored talks

Governments will be required to minimize and eliminate some of the most toxic chemicals ever created under a new treaty that has been finalized during United Nations-sponsored talks in South Africa, reported the UN news center.

The treaty will ban eight toxic pesticides as well as a number of other persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, that can kill, cause birth defects or generate diseases such as cancer, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which organized the negotiations in Johannesburg. These substances travel through the environment far beyond their original source and endure for years or even decades.

The treaty sets out control measures covering the production, import, export, disposal, and use of these chemicals. The measures will apply to an initial list of 12 substances, while a review committee will consider additional candidates for the treaty's list in response to new scientific findings.

Most of the 12 chemicals listed in the treaty are subject to an immediate ban, but an exemption has been granted for DDT, which is still needed in many countries to control malarial mosquitoes. The aim is to permit governments to protect their citizens from malaria until they are able to replace DDT with environmentally friendly alternatives.

The treaty is slated to be formally signed by ministers from 22-23 May 2001 at a diplomatic conference in Stockholm.