POPs in South Asia Status and environmental health impacts A survey of the available information of POPs in the South East Asian Region. The information is examined to reveal the nature and extent of the POPs problem. July 2004; Toxics Link Acknowledgements: The report entailed extensive research work involving data collection from various research institutes and organizations. We have been much assisted in our endeavor at data collection by scientists from Industrial Toxicological Research Institute (ITRC), National Institute of Occupational Heath (NIOH), National Environmental Engineering Re- search Institute (NEERI), NIO, Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) Trivandrum, Consumer Education Research Center (CERC), Institute for Toxicological Studies (INTOX), Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Malaria Research Centre (MRC), Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF), Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Power Grid Corporation, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Bose Institute, Centre for Study of Man and Environment (CSME), Centre for Science and environment (CSE), Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), National Anti Malaria Program (NAMP), Educational Research Institute ERI (Pakistan), The Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute (CPPRI), Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Delhi University, Jadavpur University, Kolkata University, Kalyani University, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Karachi University and Indian Agriculture Re- search Institute (IARI). We are also thankful to all the scientists who have spared their time, informally interacting with us and sharing their knowledge and experience. We would like to acknowledge the sincere efforts of Mr Harsh Shrivastava while assisting in the compilation and analysis of the data. We are thankful to the entire Toxics Link team as well as Mr R. S Sharma, and Mr G. P. Singh for the administrative support provided. Report Team – Ravi Agarwal, Krishnan Venkataraman and Papiya Sarkar About Toxics Link Toxics Link is an environmental NGO, dedicated to bringing toxics related information into the public domain, both relating to struggles and problems at the grassroots as well as global information to the local levels. We work with other groups around the country as well as internationally in an understanding that this will help bring the experience of the ground to the fore, and lead to a more meaningful articulation of issues. Toxics Link also engages in on-the ground work especially in areas of municipal, hazardous and medical waste management and food safety among others. We are also involved in a wider range of environmental issues in Delhi and outside as part of a coalition of non-governmental organizations. For the complete report, please contact Papiya at (0)11-24328006 or e-mail her at [email protected] POPs in South Asia 2 Contents Executive Summary 3.2.3 Soil and sediment 3.3 Food – a critical pathway of exposure 1.0 Introduction .............................................................. 8 3.3.1 Dietary exposure 1.1 Background 3.3.2 Food contamination 1.1.1 POPs Chemicals – Fruits, spices, vegetables, honey, tea and 1.1.2 Pesticide POPS other products 1.1.3 Industrial compounds, unintentionally – Cereals and pulses produced POPs – Animal products – HCB – Dairy products – PCBs – Oils and fats – Dioxins and Furans – Baby food 1.2 Objectives – Cattle and poultry feed 1.3 Methodology Conclusion 1.4 Report structure 4.0 Exposures ............................................................... 57 2.0 Status of POPs in South Asia ................................. 12 4.1 Wildlife 2.1 Current regulatory framework 4.1.1 Aquatic species 2.1.1 Pesticides 4.1.2 Terrestrial species and avifauna 2.1.2 PCBs 4.2 Humans 2.1.3 Dioxins/ Furans 4.2.1 Breast Milk 2.1.4 Monitoring efforts 4.2.2 Infant exposure 2.1.5 Summary of status of POPs in the SAR 4.2.3 Adipose Tissue 2.2 Sources: production, imports and 4.2.4 Blood stockpiles Conclusion 2.2.1 Pesticides – Production 5.0 Environmental and health effects .......................... 68 – Imports 5.1 Wildlife – Stockpiles 5.1.1 Aquatic species 2.3 Uses and releases 5.1.2 Terrestrial species and Avifauna 2.3.1 Pesticides 5.2 Humans – Health sector 5.1.3 Pregnant women/newborn effects – Agriculture sector 5.1.4 Other Effects 2.3.2 PCBs, Dioxins and Furans Conclusion – Electricity transmission – The ship breaking sector 6.0 Key Findings, Observations and Data Gaps .......... 75 2.4 Unintentional releases 6.1 Status of POPs in South Asia 2.4.1 Incineration and burning 6.2 Sources and hotspots of POPs in the region 2.4.2 Industrial sources 6.3 Exposures – Paper and pulp industry 6.4 Effects – Metallurgical industry – iron ore sintering, 6.5 Key issues and possible data gaps steel production – Other sources – power sector, cement, List of Tables, Flowcharts and Figures ......................... 78 chemical Conclusion Annexures ...................................................................... 84 1 Other chemicals of concern 3.0 Pathways and environmental contamination......... 30 2 Effect of paper and pulp mill 3.1 Transport mechanisms effluents 3.2 Environmental contamination 3 Sustainable approaches to vector 3.2.1 Air management 3.2.2 Water 4 Industrial hotspots identified – Surface water – Ground water Appendices – separate document – Drinking water POPs in South Asia 3 Executive summary indful of the precautionary approach as set forth in besides outlining the overall status of POPS in the region. It Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration on Environment presents and evaluates the data in terms of sources, pathways Mand Development, the objective of this Convention is and contamination, exposures, and effects. the protection of human health from persistent organic pollut- ants. Status of POPs in the region Article 1, Stockholm Convention, 2000 This report reveals the nature and extent of data and data gaps in the available knowledge of POPs in the SAR region. Context of the Study Of the 10 intentionally produced POPs listed in the Conven- tion, Toxaphene and Mirex have never been manufactured or The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants used in the region. The main pesticide chemicals used have (POPs) has helped classify a set of chemicals, which are espe- been DDT, Aldrin, Dieldrin, Heptachlor and Endrin. Of cially toxic both for the environment as well as human health. these, DDT has been used the most, and continues to be the POPs are chemicals of first concern globally since though they main POPs chemical of usage to date. This could be one rea- may be locally manufactured and used, but have global im- son why the data on DDT is most prevalent in literature. pacts owing to their ability to transport long distances, through a variety of media and pathways. Their impacts have been Of the POPs, the agricultural usage of all of them has been recognized as deadly, since these chemicals are accumulated in banned. Apart from an ongoing program involving DDT use animal fat, magnify up the food chain and do not break down. for malaria control, Dieldrin usage for locust control has been They cause a variety of serious short and lifelong health ef- allowed for India for a fixed time period. However there is fects, especially impacting children and pregnant women. In reported illegal usage in agriculture as well. India remains as fact they may be unsafe even at very low contaminations, the one of the world’s three manufacturers of DDT. Toxaphene, timing of the exposure being as critical as its dosage. Recog- HCB and Mirex have never been registered in India. The use nizing them as a global problem is the first step towards taking of PCBs in electrical equipment has been banned in India global action for their minimization and ultimate elimination. since 1967. The classification of a category of chemicals for global action Of the unintentionally produced POPs, viz, PCBs, HCBs, also marks the advent of chemical safety as an important issue dioxins and furans, their status is unclear. These POPs are requiring resources, multi-stakeholder participation as well as not regulated, and the testing facilities for dioxins and furans political will. Till date chemicals have been dealt with locally do not exist as yet, though two may be upcoming. and nationally and often data on their impacts, especially in developing countries, are insufficient. As this report reveals, The data on POPs is varied, and not systematically gener- the South Asia Region (SAR) data on POPs exists. but is ated. Studies conducted at different institutes and at different scattered and scanty. The Convention also helps lever global time periods with varying objectives are not comparable, and it resources to help national governments set priorities for action presents the difficulty of drawing a conclusion of trends in the through a National Implementation Plan (NIP) process, to levels of these chemicals in the environment and in various spe- help them shift towards cleaner development alternatives. cies. More importantly, the POPs Convention forms the basis of a On the other hand, despite the various problems associated newly emerging chemical safety regime which is growing inter- with the data, it can be found in environmental samples indi- nationally through instruments