International Standards
Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) (20.09.05)
The Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety represents a platform for developing international policy on the assessment of chemicals and their risks. It provides guidance on the management of risks posed by chemicals. The fourth Forum stated that pesticide poisonings may be a significant public health problem in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Forum IV identified pesticide poisoning as a priority (IFCS 2003a). Besides organophosphates and carbamates in WHO classes Ia and Ib, endosulfan and paraquat (both in WHO class II) caused several fatal poisonings (IFCS 2003b). The third Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (Forum III) had already identified pesticide poisonings as a priority for action and stated that poisoning of pesticide users must be prevented, especially among the agricultural workers and smallholders in developing countries and countries with markets in transition (IFCS 2000a). Forum IV made several recommendations to governments for regulatory actions aimed at reducing the risks from acutely toxic pesticides:
«10) prohibit or restrict availability (including the use of import and/or export controls as desir-able) and use of acutely toxic pesticides (such as formulations classified by WHO1) as Ex-tremely Hazardous (class 1a) and Highly Hazardous (class 1b)) and/or those pesticides as-sociated with frequent and severe poisoning incidents;
11) substitute acutely toxic pesticides with reduced risk pesticides and non-chemical control measures;
12) encourage industry to extend product stewardship and to voluntarily withdraw acutely toxic pesticides when poisoning incidents occur (…)»
(IFCS 2003a, p. 11, and reference therein (footnote 1): WHO 2001b).
The Recommendations of Forum III in the Bahia Declaration and Priorities for Action beyond 2000 were the following:
«5. Control of chemicals and pollution control initiatives should be closely integrated and the precautionary approach, as outlined in principle 15 of the Rio Declaration, should be applied1). The full range of risk reduction options should be considered, including encouraging, in particular, replacing more dangerous chemicals with less dangerous ones or using alterna-tive processes.
6. To protect the health of workers, special attention should be paid to occupational safety and health concerns caused by chemicals (...)»
(IFCS 2000b).
1) «Some countries preferred the word “considered”, the majority of participants adopted the word “applied”.»
International Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (Forum IV), Bangkok, Thailand, 1–7 November 2003, Final Report, Geneva 2003a
International Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), Acutely toxic pesticides: initial input on ex-tent of problem and guidance for risk management, Discussion document, Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (Forum IV), Bangkok, Thailand, 1–7 Nov 2003, Agenda item no. 8, Geneva 2003b
International Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), Priorities for Action Beyond 2000, Adopted at Forum III, 15-20 October 2000, Salvador Bahia, Brazil, Geneva 2000a
International Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), Third Session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (Forum III), Salvador Bahia, Brazil, 15-20 October 2000, Final Report, Geneva 2000b
«10) prohibit or restrict availability (including the use of import and/or export controls as desir-able) and use of acutely toxic pesticides (such as formulations classified by WHO1) as Ex-tremely Hazardous (class 1a) and Highly Hazardous (class 1b)) and/or those pesticides as-sociated with frequent and severe poisoning incidents;
11) substitute acutely toxic pesticides with reduced risk pesticides and non-chemical control measures;
12) encourage industry to extend product stewardship and to voluntarily withdraw acutely toxic pesticides when poisoning incidents occur (…)»
(IFCS 2003a, p. 11, and reference therein (footnote 1): WHO 2001b).
The Recommendations of Forum III in the Bahia Declaration and Priorities for Action beyond 2000 were the following:
«5. Control of chemicals and pollution control initiatives should be closely integrated and the precautionary approach, as outlined in principle 15 of the Rio Declaration, should be applied1). The full range of risk reduction options should be considered, including encouraging, in particular, replacing more dangerous chemicals with less dangerous ones or using alterna-tive processes.
6. To protect the health of workers, special attention should be paid to occupational safety and health concerns caused by chemicals (...)»
(IFCS 2000b).
1) «Some countries preferred the word “considered”, the majority of participants adopted the word “applied”.»
International Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (Forum IV), Bangkok, Thailand, 1–7 November 2003, Final Report, Geneva 2003a
International Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), Acutely toxic pesticides: initial input on ex-tent of problem and guidance for risk management, Discussion document, Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (Forum IV), Bangkok, Thailand, 1–7 Nov 2003, Agenda item no. 8, Geneva 2003b
International Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), Priorities for Action Beyond 2000, Adopted at Forum III, 15-20 October 2000, Salvador Bahia, Brazil, Geneva 2000a
International Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS), Third Session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (Forum III), Salvador Bahia, Brazil, 15-20 October 2000, Final Report, Geneva 2000b
