The Chemical Review Committee of the Rotterdam Convention has recommended including acetochlor and hexabromocyclododecane in Annex III of the Convention.

Release Date:

2018-10-27

From September 11 to 22, 2018, the 14th Meeting of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC14) of the Rotterdam Convention and the 14th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC14) of the Stockholm Convention were held back-to-back in Rome, Italy. At CRC14, the committee adopted decision guidance documents for acetochlor, hexabromocyclohexane (HBCD), and phorate (3911), and reviewed final regulatory action notifications (FRANs) concerning methyl parathion, hexabromocyclohexane, perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts, as well as related compounds. The committee recommended listing acetochlor and hexabromocyclohexane.

　　From September 11 to 22, 2018, the 14th Meeting of the Chemical Review Committee of the Rotterdam Convention (CRC‑14) and the 14th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee of the Stockholm Convention (POPRC‑14) were held back-to-back in Rome, Italy.
　　The CRC‑14 meeting reviewed and adopted decision guidance documents for acetochlor, hexabromocyclohexane (HBCD), and phorate (3911), and evaluated the final regulatory action notifications (FRAs) for methyl parathion, hexabromocyclohexane, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its salts, as well as related compounds. The Committee recommended listing acetochlor and hexabromocyclohexane in Annex III of the Convention, to be submitted to next year’s Conference of the Parties for consideration and finalization, and decided to establish an intersessional working group to draft a decision guidance document on perfluorooctanoic acid, its salts, and esters (comprising eight chemicals), collectively referred to as PFOA. Following deliberation and extensive consultation with observers, the Conference concluded that the dossier for methyl parathion did not meet the data requirements for risk assessment set out in Annex II, and agreed to revisit the matter after additional information is provided. The meeting also discussed revisions to the Chemical Review Committee’s “Manual of Working Procedures and Policy Guidance.”
　　The POPRC14 meeting reviewed and discussed various agenda items through plenary sessions, contact group meetings, and side events. The meeting ultimately adopted the draft risk profile for perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts, and related compounds (Annex E), strengthened the proposal to list perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and PFOA‑related compounds, and approved a proposal to adjust the exemptions for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts, and perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF). Positions among the parties varied considerably, and the negotiation process was tense and intense. Throughout the discussions, our delegation fully articulated its concerns regarding issues related to PFOA‑based substances and PFOS‑based substances. In the end, the meeting recommended listing PFOA‑based substances in Annex A, retaining PFOSF for the acceptable use of insect baits to control leafcutter ants, and reclassifying fire‑fighting and closed‑system hard metal electroplating from an acceptable use to a specific exemption.
　　This meeting involves Pesticide The main products include acetochlor, methyl parathion, phorate, and fipronil. For acetochlor and phorate, the relevant decision‑guidance documents have already been reviewed by the Conference and will be considered at next year’s Conference of the Parties for possible inclusion in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. As for methyl parathion, additional information—particularly risk‑assessment data—still needs to be further supplemented and refined. In China, fipronil is registered for the control of red imported fire ants and termites; however, alternative products are currently available for both of these applications.
　　A Chinese delegation, led by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and comprising representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Peking University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other institutions, attended the conference. The Department of Crop Production Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs ( Pesticide Researcher Huang Hui of the Administration Department, Pesticide Wu Lihui, a senior agronomist at the Testing Institute, attended the conference as a member of the Chinese delegation.