Overview of Hazardous Substances Management Pornpimon Chareonsong Pollution Control Department Situation Thailand imports various chemicals for direct use and for production of further value-added added products. e.g., petroleum products, industrial chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides and consumer chemicals. There is an increasing trend of chemical import, production and use. 1
Proportion of imported chemical in different categories Industrial chemicals 49% Pesticides Consumer 1% chemicals 0% Petrochemical products 5% Fertilizers 45% Quantities of imported and locally produced chemicals 40 Quantity (million tons s) 32 24 16 8 30.4 25.0 5.4 0 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 Year Imported Locally produced Total Source: Customs Department (www.customs.go.th) 2
Problems/Issues Effects on the environment Release of toxic chemicals and wastes from industries Water, air and soil contamination Increase of hazardous waste with inadequate treatment and disposal systems Illegal dumping Chemical incidents, e.g., warehouse fire and chemical spill during road accidents. Contamination of pesticide residues in crops and food items. Problems/Issues Public health, occupational health and toxic chemical poisoning. i Inadequate treatment and disposal systems. Standard, guidelines and guidance on life cycle approach of hazardous chemical and waste control are not effectively implemented. Lack of participation from public and private sector in hazardous chemicals and waste management. 3
Hazardous Substances and HW Management Approach Promote reduction of agro-chemicals uses and control of illegal l imports of banned chemicals. Promote GMP, IPM and green supply chain. Promote of BAT/BEP in industries, e.g., steel plant, crematoria, and fossil fuel-fired fired utility and industrial boilers. Introduce economic instruments e.g., emission trade, deposit/ refund system, and waste exchange. Hazardous Substances and HW Management Approach Capacity building for local administration in waste recovery systems. Support and promote local network, civil society, public and volunteer groups in monitoring and reporting releases (illegal dumping) of HS and HW into environment. Raise public awareness on chemical hazards and management through websites, annual reports, publication. 4
Hazardous Substances and HW Management Approach Preparedness in prevention and control of chemical incidents. Promote the use of manifest system in hazardous substances and hazardous waste transport. Implementation of MEAs relating to hazardous substances and hazardous waste (PIC, POPs, BASEL and SAICM). Increase the effectiveness of hazardous substances and waste management in accordance with international standard. POPs Monitoring 5
Objective of POPs the Management Stockholm Convention To protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants POPs-Why are they concern? persist for several years in the environment Bio-accumulate in fatty tissues Bio-magnify through the food-chain Adverse effects on health and the environment (especially long term effects of concern) Environmental transport through air, water and biota- regional and global distribution Continued releases ever increasing levels 6
The 12 initial POPs Pesticides: aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, DDT, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), mirex, toxaphene Industrial Chemicals: PCBs Unintentional Production Chemicals: dioxins and furans Existing legislation/ regulation addressing POPs Law and Regulation The Enhancement and Conservation of National Environment Quality Act B.E. 2535(1992) The Factory Act B.E. 2535 (1992) The Customs Act B.E. 2469 (1926) and amendments B.E. 2534 (1991) The Public Health Act B.E. 2535 (1992) Hazardous Substance Act B.E. 2535 (1992) 7
POPs Monitoring POPs pesticides monitoring The use of POPs pesticides id has been banned in Thailand for a long period of time. However, there are some stockpiles of obsolete and POPs pesticides scattered around the country. There are no specific measures for eliminating these stockpiles. Also, there is no active monitoring program for measuring POPs pesticide stockpiles. POPs Pesticides Inventory Manufacture, Import, Export and use. POPs pesticides were prohibited or banned from use, import, export and produce in the country at different occasions as: aldrin - 1988 chlordane - 2000 DDT - 1983 dieldrin - 1988 endrin - 1981 heptachlor - 1988 toxaphene - 1983 Mirex and HCH which have never been imported into Thailand were also put in the banned list together with the other POPs pesticides. 8
POPs Pesticides Inventory The main factors to accumulate obsolete pesticides. 1. banning of pesticides while they are still kept in store. 2. sub-standard standard stores and poor stock management. 3. overstocking as a result of poor assessment of requirements or difficulties in forecasting outbreaks of migratory pests. 4. inappropriate formulations or poor quality containers. POPs Pesticides Inventory Recommendation to secure and safeguard obsolete pesticides stocks and to reduce hazards to human health and environment. It should be: i. Repackaging of pesticides that are presently leaking or severely deteriorated containers and arranging them for proper and controlled storage. ii. Better planning of requirements and management of stocks. iii.obsolete pesticides should be disposed of in a safe an environmentally sound manner, which will require both technical expertise and financial resources. 9
PCBs monitoring POPs Monitoring There are several companies, institutions and government agencies, obtaining PCBs containing equipment while there is no clear approach for their management. However, some PCBs wastes in electrical equipment owned by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, and the Provincial Electricity Authority are currently being considered d and prepared to eliminate i by disposing i to the industrial countries. PCBs Inventory PCBs has never been imported or exported in Thailand. In the past, PCBs oil containing i capacitor and transformer has been imported but no record has been reported. However,it was been banned in 1975. 10
PCBs Inventory In order to carry out a PCBs inventory it is necessary to know where these can occur: a) PCBs, which are oils, have been used in a wide variety of electrical equipment and different industrial applications, but are essentially to be found today in transformers and capacitors. b) PCBs can however also be found in oils which are no longer in transformers, but which have been removed for various operational and maintenance reasons. c) Various other PCBs sources can exist. PCBs Inventory Criteria to select the sites to be performed the PCBs inventory. 1. Selecting companies established more than 25 years ago and having power consumption more than 200 horse power (hpr). The approach led to 2,000 companies being identified, with name and address. 2. For the sector universities only state university were selected, giving 65 universities 3. For the sector hospital only the central hospital in 75 provinces and established more than 25 years ago in Bangkok were selected, giving 136 hospitals 11
PCDDs/PCDFs monitoring POPs Monitoring Inventory and assessment of releases of dioxins and furans has been carried out. There is no specific current measure for reducing a formation of dioxins and furans formed during the burning of agricultural residues, household trash or other wastes. Crematoria, in addition, are among the main emission sources of dioxins and furans that are highly unintentionally polluted. Thus, it is needed to educate people by publishing awareness raising campaigns via available media to raise public awareness of hazards and risks from unintentional production chemicals. PCDDs/PCDFs Inventory There are no production, import, export or use of unintentionally yg generated POPs. However the generation of polychlorinated dibenzo paradioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzo furans (PCDFs) from sources as listed in the Annex C, Part II, of the Stockholm Convention on POPs is possible. 12
PCDDs/PCDFs Inventory The inventory was identified on 9 source categories including 1) waste incineration 2) ferrous and non-ferrous metal production 3) power generating and heating 4) production of mineral products 5) transport 6) uncontrolled combustion processes 7) production and use of chemicals and consumer goods 8) miscellaneous 9) disposal/landfill http://pops.pcd.go.th 13
For more information Thank you Stockholm Convention Focal Point Hazardous Substance Section, Waste and Hazardous Substance Management Bureau Pollution Control Department Tel 66 2298 2766, 66 2298 2457 Fax 66 2298 2765, 66 2298 2442 email: dbase.c@pcd.go.th website: http://pops.pcd.go.th, http://www.pcd.go.th 14