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The environmental occurrence of antimicrobial pharmaceuticals and antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistant genes has become a global phenomenon and a multifaceted threat. Integrated actions of many parties are needed to prevent further aggravation of the problem. Well-directed actions require clear understanding of the problem, which can be ensured by frequent revaluation of the existing knowledge and disseminating it among relevant audiences. The goal of this review paper is to discuss the occurrence and abundance of antimicrobial pharmaceuticals in the

The SAICM Secretariat, in partnership with the University of Cape Town, established a community of practice on Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) to foster discussions, exchange of best practices, and recommendations to address HHPs amongst relevant stakeholders. This is a summary of the discussion on Overview of the HHP Global Action Plan and way forward, which took place on 21 October 2020.Presenter: Dr Baogen Bu (FAO)Despite the success of many actions to eliminate Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), they continue to pose

Plastics have become one of the most ubiquitous materials used globally, and global production has on average increased by about 9% per year since 1950.The plastic industry has become a major economic actor with revenue of about 1,722 billion Euros in 2015. The issue of plastics ending up in the oceans and harming marine lifeforms has been known since the 1970s. Research focusing on the impacts associated with exposure of organisms to marine micro and macroplastics has been ongoing for

China is a major producer of paints which supplies a considerable share of paints in the world. Key paint production hot spots were identified as Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Hunan and Shandong provinces and cities. The cost of removing existing decorative lead paint from surfaces in homes, schools, and other buildings is significant. By comparison, the cost for eliminating the use of lead compounds in new decorative paints is low and alternatives to lead additives are available for all types of

The World Health Organization (WHO) with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has launched the initiative called "Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint" whose goal is to phase-out the manufacture and sale of paintings that contain lead thereby reducing the exposition to this metal and eliminating its risks and effects on the population.In Ecuador, CEER is the technical executor of the project “Lead-free paints”, carried out with the technical support of the Cleaner Production Centre of Serbia, experts from the

Elimination of Lead in Paint in Indonesia - Baseline Information - Indonesia’s paint marketIndonesia holds the first position as the biggest market in paint and coating in South East Asia with the 268 million population and high urbanization rate (57%). Indonesian paint and coating industry growth rate is 6% annually for the past five consecutive years. Paint and coating industry in Indonesia involves six multinational, four domestic, and large numbers of small-scale domestic producers, with the most demand from architectural

Lead in Nigerian paints is another route of lead into the environment and exposure can be caused as a result of inhalation or ingestion especially in children. In 2008, SRADeV Nigeria under the auspices of International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) collected and analyzed decorative paints produced and/or marketed in Nigeria. All the sampled paint brands were found to contain lead higher than 90ppm, in fact up to an alarming level of 129,837ppm in one case. At that time, there were

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have established the joint initiative Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (Lead Paint Alliance) to prevent children’s exposure to lead from paints containing lead and to minimize occupational exposures to lead paints. The broad objective of the Alliance is to promote a phase-out of the manufacture and sale of paints containing lead and eventually eliminate the risks from such paint.CER/Grupo GEA implements the Component 1 “Promoting regulatory and voluntary

Media ReleaseAs one of the first companies to completely end the production, and supply, of lead-based pigments in the mid-1980’s (Hoechst AG – now Clariant), Clariant supported the Global Alliance to eliminate lead paint and, through regulatory and legal measures, accelerate progress towards its global phase out.To work towards this goal, Clariant is a supporter of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), hosted by UN Environment Programme, a global policy framework which aims to protect human health and

Global trade in illegal pesticides has been steadily growing in recent years, posing serious threats to agriculture, the environment, human health, and the economy. Evidence of this trend can be found in the increasing number of seizures of counterfeit, fake, and unauthorised pesticides, as well as their growing share in the global pesticide market. This paper identifies the main drivers and enablers of this illicit trade, and explores the potential of digital technologies, such as blockchain, to support policies to