Background
PBDEs have been produced and widely used as flame retardants since the 1990s. Major areas of application included electrical and electronic equipment, textiles or plastics; in summary, PBDE can be found in many consumer goods but also in housings and the immediate human environment. It is considered that the production of POP-PBDEs has stopped in 2004 (however, deca-BDE is still being produced and used) but large amounts are still in use and will end up in waste streams. As a consequence and as recognized by the Parties to the Stockholm Convention, POP-PBDEs are included in re-use and recycling flows, for example, used electrical and electronic equipment EEE, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) plastics for recycling, second hand vehicles, synthetic carpets, certain furniture, textiles, and paper. Subsequently, PBDE are/ were distributed around the globe in products or waste. Results from monitoring studies have detected them in air, water, sediments, organisms and the human body. In the environment, PBDE pollution has grown exponentially and also concentrations in humans tend to increase. Therefore, PBDE pollution constitutes a great threat for ecosystems and human health. PBDEs have become global pollutants and a major concern in many countries. Parties to the multilateral environmental conventions like the Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam conventions have committed themselves to address and solve the problems associated with PBDEs.
The Basel and Stockholm Convention Regional Centers for Capacity Building are the regional hubs to provide assistance to countries/Parties in the region and beyond. Several developing counties in Asia have expressed the need for technical support to implement the requirements on new POPs, especially for PBDE, which seem to constitute the largest mass flow but also the biggest technical challenge. Countries that have asked for technical assistance include Cambodia, Laos, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Mongolia. Needs arise especially with respect to lack of information and legislation on the use and presence of new POPs in the supply chain and production processes, life-cycle considerations in recycling and waste stream, and handling of PBDE wastes. The latter one is still in its infancy and PBDE-containing waste are often handled in the open environment by non-formal treatment and disposal operations. These unregulated practices are likely to cause environmental pollution and problems to people living close to such places.
This project will raise awareness in the Southeast Asian region about the whole life cycle of PBDEs, about environmental and human health implications and inform the public about best environmental management practices for the treatment and disposal of PBDE waste. Through its national partners and the “China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center”, the project will strengthen capacity building, awareness raising, regulatory framework, and environmentally sound management of PBDEs, which contributes to objective of UNEP’s Subprogramme 5.
Objectives
1. To create and maintain a platform for the exchange of information on regional PBDEs management within the Southeast Asian region.
2. To undertake pilot/feasibility studies on identification and separation of PBDEs-containing waste from general waste streams in participating countries.
Activities
1. Establish an information platform on PBDEs management and operational activities
2. Generate awareness on PBDEs management
3. Undertake and accomplish a feasibility study on separation of PBDEs containing waste from the general waste stream
4. Training workshop
Key expected outputs
1. PBDEs regional information platform accessible and operational;
2. Awareness raising materials produced and accessible: audio-visual (electronic) and hardcopy;
3. Feasibility study undertaken and technical report including national survey(s) published;
4. One regional results workshop held and diffusion of lessons learned and information finalized;
5. Document containing proposal for a regional strategy for PBDE management prepared.
Participant Organization
* UNEP Chemicals Branch, DTIE
* Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific/Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Capacity-building and the Transfer of Technology in Asia and the Pacific
* UNEP Regional Office for Asia-Pacific/UNEP Country Office in China
* UNEP/DTIE IETC
* China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center (CAEC)
* Ministry of Environment of Cambodia
* Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Lao PDR
* Ministry of Environment and Green Development of Mongolia
* Ministry of Environment Pakistan
* Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy of Sri Lanka
Questionnaires
Country Report
Click to download:
Project Report
Awareness Raising Materials
