"Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser."Vince Lombardi
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Growing Plants with LED's
In some dictionaries life is defined, as a power that demonstrates a purpose to feed, process matter into energy, grow, and reproduce. Life means existence, a state of being. No matter how we look at the definitions, one thing is clear: life is the energy ...
Protecting America with Specialty Gases
Prior to 9/11, environmental concerns largely focused on monitoring, controlling and reducing the pollution the industrial revolution had set in motion. From a specialty gas point of view, our efforts at Scott focused primarily on developing the ...
Toxic Mold & Disease
Asthma has increased 300 percent in children in the past ten years. Research by WHO, in Germany, finds prostate cancer, breast cancer, and other cancers increasing due to mold-related problems.Mold is the number one health problem with one in every three ...
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The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted a legally binding Convention banning the application of organotin anti-fouling paints on ships' hulls by 2003 and its presence by 2008. This requires not less than 25 States, the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than 25% of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant shipping, it's not likely that the Convention will enter into force by 2002. So WWF is seeking commitments from industry and government to show active support for the IMO Convention. This will be achieved through eliminating the use of organotin paints, with action taken to bring about such elimination of the use organotins before 2003, the date proposed by the IMO.
The main qualification for membership in the 2003 Group (organotin-free group) will be that the industry player concerned is fully organotin-free by January 1st 2003. Membership will not be granted to the shipping companies unless their entire fleet is organotin free by 2003.
Organotin compounds, such as TBT, are considered to be amongst the most toxic chemicals ever released into the marine environment. Even at very low concentrations, they have been shown to produce serious negative impacts upon marine life. These cause the disruption of the hormone systems in marine invertebrates, such as dogwhelks, causing fremales to acquire the sexual characteristics of males. Studies show that organotins are present in
marine species at all levels of the ecosystem: fish, birds and mammals. Possible human endocrine disrupting properties of organotins have been seen.
Anti-fouling paints on ships' hulls is a major source of organotins. Organotin paint has been partially banned for use on smaller vessels. This has been shown to reduce levels of organotin, but their continued use on larger ships, and the fact that the compounds can persist in sediments for a lengthy time period, means that the marine environment is still saturated with these chemicals at unacceptably high levels.
To support conservation of marine biodiversity and reduce destructive human impacts it is imperative that the use of these organotin compounds be phased out. This chemical is considered to be the most toxic chemical ever deliberately released into the marine environment.
Contacts:
Patricia Cameron
Pollution Prevention Officer
WWF Germany - Marine and Coastal Division
Am Güthpol 11
D - 28757 Bremen
Germany
Tel. +49 421 65846 16
Fax +49 421 65846 26
email: _ HYPERLINK mailto:Cameron@wwf.de __Cameron@wwf.de_mailto:svowles@wwf.org.uk __svowles@wwf.org.uk_
Dr Simon Vowles
Marine Policy Officer [Pollution]
WWF
Panda House
Weyside Park
Godalming GU7 1XR
UK
Tel ++44 1483 426 444
About the Author
Margot B, Writer & Web Developer
http://www.writers.Org-HQ.com
mailto:margotb@wonderport.com
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Women for a Healthy Environment Hosts Fragrance-Free DayPatch.comIn honor of Fragrance-Free Day on Tuesday, Women for a Healthy Environment will host a free webinar on workplace policies and a community celebration in Market Square today, Tuesday. Women for a Healthy Environment is a coalition of women representing ...and more » |
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