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<\/a><\/p>\nHandful of countries highjack international agreement, intended to protect human health and environment.<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n <\/p>\n
Geneva, May 10, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\nCivil society groups attending the Rotterdam Convention conference in Geneva are expressing grave alarm that the Convention has been hijacked by the asbestos industry, which is determined to prevent the environmental and health protections of the Convention from being implemented.<\/p>\n
For the fourth time, a handful of countries allied to the asbestos industry have refused to allow chrysotile asbestos to be added to the Convention\u2019s list of hazardous substances, even though the Convention\u2019s expert scientific committee has repeatedly recommended that it be listed and even though it has been recognized that the listing of chrysotile asbestos meets all the criteria of the Convention. The committee\u2019s conclusions are endorsed by all leading medical organisations and by the World Health Organisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is outrageous that seven countries \u2013 Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Zimbabwe, India and Vietnam \u2013 are turning the Rotterdam Convention into a Convention that protects profits of the asbestos industry, instead of protecting human health and the environment,\u201d said Kathleen Ruff, co-coordinator of the Rotterdam Convention Alliance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Convention requires that countries practice responsible trade by obtaining prior informed consent before they export hazardous substances to another country,\u201d said Laurie Kazan-Allen, coordinator of IBAS, UK. \u201cBut these seven countries are determined to practice irresponsible trade and to hide the hazards of chrysotile asbestos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fernanda Giannasi, a labour inspector in Brazil, reports that, in her job, she daily sees products containing chrysotile asbestos entering her country without labels, and tells of the great many victims who develop cancers from asbestos exposure in her country. \u201cSince these countries refuse to follow responsible trade information practices, it will force other countries to resort to other measures, such as a full ban on asbestos,\u201d said Giannasi.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussia and Zimbabwe recently ratified the Convention and attended the Rotterdam Convention conference of the parties for the first time,\u201d said Sugio Furuya of the Asia Ban Asbestos Network. \u201cIt seems that they ratified the Convention with the sole purpose of wrecking it in order to protect the profits of their national asbestos industry. This is shameful, cynical conduct on their part. They are ruthlessly destroying the Convention to achieve their aim.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Convention is not going to be implemented and become empty words on paper, then what is the point of having the Convention?\u201d asked Emmanuel Odjam-Akumatey of Ecological Restorations, Ghana. \u201cThe credibility of the Convention, and all 152 countries who have ratified the Convention is a at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese seven countries, allied to the asbestos industry, are demonstrating contempt for the right of countries to prior informed consent, which is the whole purpose of the Convention,\u201d said Alessandro Pugno of the Association of Asbestos Victims Families, Casale, Italy. That is why we have once against brought one hundred people, representing asbestos victims organisations, in front of the UN headquarters in Geneva and presented to the president of the conference their letter<\/a>, calling for chrysotile asbestos to be listed.<\/p>\n\u201cAs well as civil society, the vast majority of parties to the Rotterdam Convention are dismayed and supported the statement by Australia yesterday stating that the cost of inaction will be huge,\u201d said Elina Doszhanova of Social-Eco Fund NGO from Kazakhstan. “Although we are a major exporting country of chrysotile asbestos, there is no in-depth research and understanding of the current and future health and environmental costs of inaction.”<\/p>\n
\u201cChrysotile asbestos is widely used in Kyrgyzstan, but our citizens are not all informed; we call on our governments to apply the precautionary principle, to protect public health,\u201d says Dr Vladimir Korotenko, BIOM Kyrgyzstan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis small group of countries tries to use as an excuse, that listing would cause extra costs. They have been repeatedly told that this is not a criterion of the Convention. Furthermore, this argument is nonsense and omits the enormous economic costs caused by chrysotile asbestos, which is already up in the hundreds of billions of dollars. While industry takes the profits, the costs are put on the shoulders of the public taxpayer. The World Bank recognized this fact and therefore recommended against use of chrysotile asbestos,\u201d said Alexandra Caterbow, senior chemical expert at WECF International.<\/p>\n
Last year, an Italian court sentenced two asbestos executives to 16 years in jail for criminally suppressing information about the hazards of asbestos, resulting in up to 3000 deaths, including citizens living near their asbestos-cement factories.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy not listing chrysotile asbestos, the Convention is enabling the industry to carry on the same criminal cover-up of the hazards of chrysotile asbestos, which will result in hundreds of thousands more tragic deaths, which could and should be prevented,\u201d said Dr. Barry Castleman, former consultant on asbestos to the World Bank. \u201cThis is a crime against humanity and the whole world should be scandalized.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fernanda Giannasi, said the handful of asbestos countries achieved a small delay, but by doing so they further isolated themselves from the world community and incensed the majority of parties to the Convention who insist on obtaining their right to know as soon as possible. Civil society and victims organisations are determined to continue their struggle to protect all people from deadly hazards of chrysotile asbestos.<\/p>\n
For more information<\/strong>:<\/p>\nKathleen Ruff, kruff@bulkley.net<\/a><\/p>\nAlexandra Caterbow, alexandra.caterbow@wecf.eu<\/a><\/p>\nLaurie Kazan-Allen, lka@btinternet.com<\/a><\/p>\nFor information in Russian:<\/strong><\/p>\nVladimir Korotenko, BIOM, Kyrgyzstan, vladk77@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\nElina Doszhanova, Social-Ecological Fund, Kazakhstan, edoszhan@gmail.com<\/a>+<\/p>\n
Civil society groups attending the Rotterdam Convention conference in Geneva are expressing grave alarm that the Convention has been hijacked by the asbestos industry, which is determined to prevent the environmental and health protections of the Convention from being implemented.<\/p>\n
For the fourth time, a handful of countries allied to the asbestos industry have refused to allow chrysotile asbestos to be added to the Convention\u2019s list of hazardous substances, even though the Convention\u2019s expert scientific committee has repeatedly recommended that it be listed and even though it has been recognized that the listing of chrysotile asbestos meets all the criteria of the Convention. The committee\u2019s conclusions are endorsed by all leading medical organisations and by the World Health Organisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is outrageous that seven countries \u2013 Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Zimbabwe, India and Vietnam \u2013 are turning the Rotterdam Convention into a Convention that protects profits of the asbestos industry, instead of protecting human health and the environment,\u201d said Kathleen Ruff, co-coordinator of the Rotterdam Convention Alliance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Convention requires that countries practice responsible trade by obtaining prior informed consent before they export hazardous substances to another country,\u201d said Laurie Kazan-Allen, coordinator of IBAS, UK. \u201cBut these seven countries are determined to practice irresponsible trade and to hide the hazards of chrysotile asbestos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fernanda Giannasi, a labour inspector in Brazil, reports that, in her job, she daily sees products containing chrysotile asbestos entering her country without labels, and tells of the great many victims who develop cancers from asbestos exposure in her country. \u201cSince these countries refuse to follow responsible trade information practices, it will force other countries to resort to other measures, such as a full ban on asbestos,\u201d said Giannasi.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussia and Zimbabwe recently ratified the Convention and attended the Rotterdam Convention conference of the parties for the first time,\u201d said Sugio Furuya of the Asia Ban Asbestos Network. \u201cIt seems that they ratified the Convention with the sole purpose of wrecking it in order to protect the profits of their national asbestos industry. This is shameful, cynical conduct on their part. They are ruthlessly destroying the Convention to achieve their aim.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Convention is not going to be implemented and become empty words on paper, then what is the point of having the Convention?\u201d asked Emmanuel Odjam-Akumatey of Ecological Restorations, Ghana. \u201cThe credibility of the Convention, and all 152 countries who have ratified the Convention is a at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese seven countries, allied to the asbestos industry, are demonstrating contempt for the right of countries to prior informed consent, which is the whole purpose of the Convention,\u201d said Alessandro Pugno of the Association of Asbestos Victims Families, Casale, Italy. That is why we have once against brought one hundred people, representing asbestos victims organisations, in front of the UN headquarters in Geneva and presented to the president of the conference their letter<\/a>, calling for chrysotile asbestos to be listed.<\/p>\n \u201cAs well as civil society, the vast majority of parties to the Rotterdam Convention are dismayed and supported the statement by Australia yesterday stating that the cost of inaction will be huge,\u201d said Elina Doszhanova of Social-Eco Fund NGO from Kazakhstan. “Although we are a major exporting country of chrysotile asbestos, there is no in-depth research and understanding of the current and future health and environmental costs of inaction.”<\/p>\n \u201cChrysotile asbestos is widely used in Kyrgyzstan, but our citizens are not all informed; we call on our governments to apply the precautionary principle, to protect public health,\u201d says Dr Vladimir Korotenko, BIOM Kyrgyzstan.<\/p>\n \u201cThis small group of countries tries to use as an excuse, that listing would cause extra costs. They have been repeatedly told that this is not a criterion of the Convention. Furthermore, this argument is nonsense and omits the enormous economic costs caused by chrysotile asbestos, which is already up in the hundreds of billions of dollars. While industry takes the profits, the costs are put on the shoulders of the public taxpayer. The World Bank recognized this fact and therefore recommended against use of chrysotile asbestos,\u201d said Alexandra Caterbow, senior chemical expert at WECF International.<\/p>\n Last year, an Italian court sentenced two asbestos executives to 16 years in jail for criminally suppressing information about the hazards of asbestos, resulting in up to 3000 deaths, including citizens living near their asbestos-cement factories.<\/p>\n \u201cBy not listing chrysotile asbestos, the Convention is enabling the industry to carry on the same criminal cover-up of the hazards of chrysotile asbestos, which will result in hundreds of thousands more tragic deaths, which could and should be prevented,\u201d said Dr. Barry Castleman, former consultant on asbestos to the World Bank. \u201cThis is a crime against humanity and the whole world should be scandalized.\u201d<\/p>\n Fernanda Giannasi, said the handful of asbestos countries achieved a small delay, but by doing so they further isolated themselves from the world community and incensed the majority of parties to the Convention who insist on obtaining their right to know as soon as possible. Civil society and victims organisations are determined to continue their struggle to protect all people from deadly hazards of chrysotile asbestos.<\/p>\n For more information<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Kathleen Ruff, kruff@bulkley.net<\/a><\/p>\n Alexandra Caterbow, alexandra.caterbow@wecf.eu<\/a><\/p>\n Laurie Kazan-Allen, lka@btinternet.com<\/a><\/p>\n For information in Russian:<\/strong><\/p>\n Vladimir Korotenko, BIOM, Kyrgyzstan, vladk77@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n Elina Doszhanova, Social-Ecological Fund, Kazakhstan, edoszhan@gmail.com<\/a>+<\/p>\n