UNITED NATIONS Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants Report on the Assessment of Chemical Alternatives to Endo
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UNITED NATIONS SC UNEP/POPS/POPRC.8/INF/28 Distr.: General 27 November 2012 English only Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee Eighth meeting Geneva, 15–19 October 2012 Agenda item 5 (e) Technical work: assessment of alternatives to endosulfan Report on the assessment of chemical alternatives to endosulfan Note by the Secretariat A report on the assessment of chemical alternatives to endosulfan was developed by the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee at its eighth meeting on the basisof the report on the assessment of chemical alternatives to endosulfan and DDT1 referred to in document UNEP/POPS/POPRC.8/8. The report is set out in the annex to the present note; it has not been formally edited. 1 UNEP/POPS/POPRC.8/INF/12. K1284079 131212 UNEP/POPS/POPRC.8/INF/28 Annex Report on the assessment of chemical alternatives to endosulfan 19 October 2012 2 UNEP/POPS/POPRC.8/INF/28 Table of Contents 1. Disclaimer 2. Background and proposed results 3. Prioritization of Chemical Alternatives for Endosulfan with respect to the Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) Characteristics (Annex D) 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Endpoint and data selection for prioritisation 3.3. Experimental information 3.4. QSAR information 3.5. Description of the data sources 3.6. Uncertainties 3.7. Data analysis 3.8. Results 3.9. Comments on selected alternative substances 4. Methodology for the assessment of persistent organic pollutant characteristics and identification of other hazard indicators for the assessment of chemical alternatives to Endosulfan 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Decision on properties to be considered 4.3. Databases consulted 4.3.1 First line references 4.3.2 Second line references 4.4. Decision on the representation of the information on the endpoints, handling of conflicting results and integration of the data 5. Assessment of the persistent organic pollutant characteristics and other hazard indicators of the selected chemical alternatives to Endosulfan 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Data availability and uncertainties 5.3. Results 5.4. Conclusions of the screening assessment on POPs characteristics of the chemical alternative of Endosulfan 6. Annex I: Workplans and status of the different items for Endosulfan 7. Annex II: Chemical alternatives to Endosulfan for crop-pest complex 8. Annex III: Results of the prioritization of 110 alternatives of Endosulfan 9. Annex IV: Results of the assessment for 26 selected alternatives to Endosulfan 10. Annex V: Abbreviations 3 UNEP/POPS/POPRC.8/INF/28 I. Disclaimer 1. This report provides hazard-based information on the alternatives with respect to the POP criteria in Annex D of the Stockholm Convention and other relevant hazard criteria. It is important to note that the assessment should not be seen as a comprehensive and in depth assessment of all available information as only a limited number of databases have been consulted (as indicated in section IV of the report). 2. The fact sheets (compiled in the background document), on which this report is based, provide an analysis on a screening level as to whether or not an insecticide meets the numerical thresholds in Annex D, but does not analyze monitoring data or other evidence as provided for in Annex D. So failure to meet the thresholds should be considered as a likelihood rather than as evidence that the insecticide is not a POP. 3. Parties may use this report when choosing alternatives to Endosulfan as a primary source of information. It is strongly recommended that further assessment is carried out within their national framework of authorization. In addition, substances which have been identified here as not likely to fulfil the criteria on persistence and bioaccumulation in Annex D, may still exhibit hazardous characteristics that should be assessed by Parties before considering such substances as a suitable alternative. II. Background and proposed results 4. By its decision SC-5/3, the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (COP) decided to amend part I of Annex A to the Convention to list therein technical endosulfan and its related isomers, with specific exemptions. 5. To support the development and deployment of alternatives to endosulfan, the COP decided to undertake a work programme as set out in the annex to decision SC-5/4. Accordingly, Parties were requested and observers were invited to submit information on chemical and non-chemical alternatives to endosulfan. The Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC), beginning at its seventh meeting, was requested to assess the alternatives to endosulfan in accordance with the general guidance on considerations related to alternatives and substitutes to listed persistent organic pollutants and candidate chemicals1. 6. At its seventh meeting, the POPRC reviewed the information provided by the Parties and observers on alternatives to endosulfan2 and adopted decision POPRC-7/4 which set out a workplan and terms of reference for the intersessional work related to the assessment of alternatives to endosulfan. Both workplans and the present status of the subsequent steps within these two workplans are provided in Annex I, as well as the relationships between the identified steps and the chapters of this report. 7. This report addresses the various items identified in the agreed workplans with the aim to: a) Prioritize the chemical alternatives to endosulfan relevant to the most important crop- pest complexes against the POP screening criteria, b) Assess the POP characteristics and other hazard indicators of the prioritized chemical alternatives to endosulfan. 9. This report for the consideration of the POPRC at its eighth meeting provides information on the likelihood of substances to be a POP or not to be a POP. 10. It is important to note that the assessment of the POP characteristics and other hazard indicators of the alternatives should not be seen as a comprehensive and in depth assessment of all available information as only a limited number of databases have been consulted as indicated in section III of the report. 1 UNEP/POPS/POPRC.5/10/Add.1 2 UNEP/POPS/POPRC.7/INF/11/Rev.1 and UNEP/POPS/POPRC.7/INF/12. 4 UNEP/POPS/POPRC.8/INF/28 11. Parties may use this report when choosing alternatives to endosulfan as a primary source of information. This report provides hazard-based information on the alternatives with respect to the POP criteria in Annex D of the Stockholm Convention and other relevant hazard criteria. The fact sheets, on which this report is based, provide an analysis on a screening level as to whether or not an substance meets the numerical thresholds in Annex D of the Stockholm Convention, but does not analyse monitoring data or other evidence as provided for in Annex D. So failure to meet the thresholds should not be taken as evidence that the insecticide is not a POP. In addition, substances which in this report are not likely to fulfil the criteria on persistence and bioaccumulation in Annex D may still exhibit hazardous characteristics that should be assessed by Parties before considering such substances as a suitable alternative. 12. In summary Parties and observers submitted 110 alternative substances for Endosulfan. 13. One substance was considered to meet all Annex D criteria in the screening assessment. Nine substances assessed in the screening assessment might meet all of the Annex D criteria but this remains undetermined due to equivocal or insufficient data. One hundred substances were considered not likely to fulfil the criteria on persistence and bioaccumulation in Annex D in the screening assessment. III. Prioritization of Chemical Alternatives for Endosulfan with respect to the Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) Characteristics (Annex D) 3.1 Introduction 13. At its seventh meeting, the POPRC decided to gather further information on alternatives to endosulfan for the exemptions listed in Part IV of Decision SC 5/3. Therefore Decision POPRC-7/4 set out a workplan and terms of reference for the intersessional work related to the assessment of alternatives to endosulfan. 14. This chapter addresses item 6 of the agreed workplan (cf. Annex I): Prioritize the chemical alternatives relevant to the most important crop-pest complexes against the POP screening criteria. 15. The Secretariat collected additional information from Parties and Observers and compiled a list by 1th May 2012 of 114 alternative substances for endosulfan that are applied for crop-pest complexes specified in Part IV of Decision SC 5/3 (cf. Annex II). Of these 114 substances 1 entry (Chromafenozide) was mentioned twice and entry 110 Tricloprid was considered to be equal to entry 103 Thiacloprid. Of the remaining 112 entries DDT was not considered as legal alternative and entry 101, Sulphur was not considered for screening since it is not possible to apply all Annex D criteria to an inorganic chemical. 110 substances were considered further in the screening process (cf. Annex III). 16. The screening process ranked the 110 chemical alternative substances with respect to their POP characteristics. 3.2 Endpoint and data selection for prioritisation 17. To obtain a reliable database for prioritisation, experimental as well as QSARs/modelled information were collected for each substance to address in a first step bioaccumulation (B) and persistence (P) (i.e., criteria (b) and (c) of Annex D of the Stockholm Convention). The two criteria were selected as their suitability for ranking was considered prior to toxicity, since all reported substances act as insecticides implying high toxicity. 18. Substances for which monitoring data (AMAP, 2009) 3 are available and which are present in remote areas are highlighted and depending on their profile considered as candidates for further assessment (cf. section 4). 3 AMAP Assessment 2009 - Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Arctic. Science of the Total Environment Special Issue.