15 resources found

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Case studies

Women Leaders: Addressing Chemicals and Waste Issues

People of all gender identities must have the same rights and opportunities to participate fully in their communities, free from the health threats posed by toxic chemicals. It is especially important to understand the factors that put women at risk from chemical health threats.

The IPEN report “Women Leaders: Addressing Chemicals and Waste Issues” highlights women’s leadership through ten organizations from around the world working to address chemical health threats. The report was developed within the framework of the United Nations Environment Program and its Global Environment Facility (GEF), under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), executed by the SAICM Secretariat. It was produced with support from the Swedish Government.

Women face greater risks from chemical exposures and experience higher rates of adverse health outcomes because of their physiology, different types of occupational exposures, and differential exposures to chemicals, including from personal care and household products. Women are also exposed to chemicals — such as endocrine disrupting chemicals, lead in paint, and chemicals in toys — that pose health threats during pregnancy and to their developing children.

These toxic exposures can lead to serious health problems that impact women’s lives and their opportunities to participate in their communities fully and equally. This is especially so for women in low-income communities who are often managing multiple pathways for toxic exposures and multiple obstacles to gender equality.

Women cannot be empowered nor gender equality achieved while exposures to hazardous chemicals put them at risk for cancer, chronic illnesses, infertility, and damage to their nervous systems.

In 2015, the United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Gender Equality” is one of the goals (Goal 5) and the SDGs also recognize that gender equality is a prerequisite for reaching most of the other goals. Reducing and eliminating chemical exposures will also be essential for achieving all of the 17 goals.

The stories that follow highlight women across the globe who are leading work in their communities, nations, and internationally for stronger protections from harmful chemicals. Supporting their work and the work of countless other women who are leading similar efforts will be critical for achieving the SDGs.

Policy document

A review of PFAS as a Chemical Class in the Textiles Sector - Policy Brief

For over a decade, under both SAICM and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the class of chemicals known as PFAS is gaining increasing international attention. Since 2009, chemicals in products have been identified as an Emerging Policy Issue and PFAS as an Issue of Concern by the SAICM. The textiles sector is currently considered in the SAICM context through the ‘Chemicals in Products Programme’, which focuses on four priority sectors: textiles, toys, building products and electronics. The
Report

Summary report on Chemicals in Toys Policy in China

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March 2020
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China is one of the largest producers, exporters and consumers of toy products in the world. In order to ensure the quality and safety of toys, and to promote the development of toys industry, China implements a series of related laws, regulations and standards, with many authorities participate in the supervision and management of toys industry.However, there are still gaps between China and the European Union in terms of the limits of chemicals in toys and the management of new
Emerging Policy Issues: Chemicals in products
Policy document

Understanding chemicals in products: SAICM Policy Brief

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November 2019
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The transparency of information about chemicals in global supply chains has been an emerging policy issue for the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) since 2009, leading to programmes such as the UNEP Chemicals in Products (CiP) Programme. The CiP programme focuses specifically on the textiles, toys, electronics and building materials sectors.Information exchange in the value chain is key in identifying and addressing any chemicals of concern1 in products. Brands and retailers frequently lack crucial knowledge about the properties

SAICM-USEtox_D2.1
Report

List of Chemicals of Concern and of potential alternatives for toys sector, with supporting information on criteria and selection

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September 2019
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In this report, we present a list of Chemicals of Concern (CoCs) in plastic toys, with supporting information on the applied selection criteria. To identify the CoCs, we started from a literature review of available plastic toys compositions studies, and obtained the chemical mass fraction in plastic toy as well as the chemical functions. The chemical emissions from the plastic toys and subsequent human exposures were then estimated using a series of models and the coupled nearfield and far-field exposure assessment framework. Finally, the human exposure doses were compared to toxicity measures such as the reference dose (RfD), or median effective dose (ED50) for cancer effects, to evaluate the health risks on children. Chemical-material combinations that have a hazard quotient (HQ) > 10, a margin of exposure (MoE) < 100, or a lifetime cancer risk > 10-6 were included in the list of CoCs. In total, 35 (less than 10%) of all chemical-material combinations studied were identified as CoCs. The results indicate that a relevant amount of chemicals used in plastic toys may pose a non-negligible health risk to children, calling for more refined investigations and more human- and eco-friendly alternatives.

This document has been developed within the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project ID: 9771 on Global Best Practices on Emerging Chemical Policy Issues of Concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). This project is funded by the GEF, implemented by UNEP and executed by the SAICM Secretariat.

Emerging Policy Issues: Chemicals in products
Factsheets and brochures

Using a value chain approach to reduce chemicals of concern

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October 2021
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Chemicals of concern (CoCs) contained in everyday products can have harmful impacts on human health and the environment. While chemical-related impacts can often occur during a product’s use or end-of-life, decisions influencing product ingredients are taken further upstream of the value chain. Action to address CoCs in products thus need to consider the entire value chain and impactful interventions need to be made at upstream stages to protect human health and the environment from chemical pollution. UNEP is working on
Community of practice summary of discussions

Chemicals in toys

The SAICM Secretariat, in partnership with the University of Cape Town, established a community of practice on Chemicals in Products to bring representatives from different sectors together and to create a learning network around issues related to addressing Chemicals in Products (CiP). This is a summary of the discussion on Chemicals in toys, which took place on 17 June 2021.Presenters: Olga Speranskaya (HEJSupport), Varuzhan Gyurjyan (Mankan LLC), Gohar Khojayan (AWHHE), Thony Dizon (EcoWaste Coalition), Ram Charitra Sah (CEPHED)This SAICM/UCT discussion
Emerging Policy Issues: Chemicals in products
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