Bangkok, 7 November 2003 – The Fourth session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (Forum IV) concluded its one week session with substantive progress made to achieve sound global management of chemical safety.

The Forum recognized that poisonings of pesticide users must be prevented and agreed to a wide variety of policy and regulatory actions governments could take to reduce risk. Among the possible actions to be taken is the prohibition or restriction of the availability (including the use of import and/or export controls as desirable) and the use of acutely toxic pesticides such as formulations classified by WHO as extremely and highly hazardous and/or those pesticides associated with frequent and severe poisoning incidents. "We are very pleased with the outcome of the Conference, which had the highest turnout and many concrete commitments to protect human health and the environment from exposure to toxic chemicals" said Mr Henrique Cavalcanti, President of Forum IV and former Minister of Environment and the Amazon, Brazil.

Pesticide poisoning is a major public health problem in developing countries. The extent of the problem is unknown; the World Health Organization has estimated an annual worldwide incidence of 3 million cases of acute, severe poisoning (including suicides), matched possibly by a much greater number of unreported cases of mild-to-moderate intoxication, with some 220,0000 deaths. “Pesticide poisoning needs special attention. It is common knowledge that poisonings occur but few have given it the attention it deserves. All of us – governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as industry and private sector representatives -- moved to reach consensus to get to where we are. Willingness, commitment, and compromise of all stakeholders is the way forward, and we achieved it” said Mrs Cathleen Barnes, US Environment Protection Agency, USA.

Delegates at all levels singled the need to protect children from chemical threats and safeguard their environment. “The enforcement of the Forum recommendations will certainly promote actions at all levels which will make the world safer for our children, now and in the future,” said Dr Jenny Pronczuk, Medical Doctor, World Health Organization (WHO). There was a strong call for action to mitigate known risks and to address areas of uncertainty concerning children’s exposure to chemical threats.

The need to consider children’s possible enhanced exposures and/or special vulnerabilities whenever acceptable levels of exposure or criteria related to chemicals are being set was emphasized. Governments were called to prepare initial national assessments of children’s environmental and chemical safety. These assessments should identify the priority concerns in their country, and provide the basis for developing action plans to address those concerns.

Among the other major decisions taken at the Conference was the acceptance of reducing the widening gap in implementation of policies between developed and developing nations. Since many developing countries have not yet put in place chemical legislation, inventories, and controls of imports and exports, it has resulted in creating a widening gap in implementation. “It is time to strike a balance between furthering more policies and helping those countries lagging behind”, said Mr. Rashid Mokhtari, Deputy Secretary at the National Authority for Chemical Conventions, Iran.

Substantive progress was made in the area of hazard data generation with the agreement to establish a detailed programme for an international repository on hazard information that would be free of charge for the public. This data will help governments implement the new globally harmonized systems (GHS) for labeling of chemicals including chemical products in the work place and in the home by 2008. “This will be of major use and will reduce the risks of poisonings, accidents and injuries caused from misuse and lack of knowledge” said Mrs. Anna-Liisa Sundquist, Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland.

The decisions adopted at the Conference will serve as a roadmap for action until Forum V. The Government of Hungary will host IFCS V by 2006. Over 600 delegates participated in Forum IV from 155 governments, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organizations as well as industry and the private sector. The Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) was created in 1994 to integrate and consolidate international efforts to manage chemicals safety.

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