5 Sep 2012

UNEP / CHEMICALS REPORT

Governments must urgently act to reduce the health and environmental hazards posed by the increase in use of chemicals in industries worldwide, says a United Nations report launched today. CH UNTV / FILE

Posted at: September 5, 2012 1:53 pm

Duration: 03:09

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: UNEP / CHEMICALS REPORT
TRT: 3.09
SOURCE: CH UNTV / ILO / UNTV / UNICEF / WORLD BANK / FAO / UNEP
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 5 SEPTEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – CH UNTV – RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Palais

CH UNTV – 5 SEPTEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Med shot, poster for report launch
3. Wide shot, panel
4. Wide shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sylvie Lemmet, Director, Division for Technology, Industry and Economics, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
"We are now much more than we may think living in a world of chemicals."

FILE – UNEP – DATE AND LOCATION UNKNOWN

6. Wide shot, spraying crops

FILE – ILO – DECEMBER 2010, RASTAAT, GERMANY

7. Close up, hands manipulate electronic board in Siemens factory

FILE – UNICEF – 11-16 OCTOBER 2011, BENGHAZI, LIBYA

8. Med shot, boy playing a game on the phone
9. Med shot, boy building blocks

FILE – UNTV – DATE UNKNOWN, AFRICA

10. Wide shot, woman walking in e-waste dumping site
11. Various shots, little boy rummaging through e-waste

CH UNTV – 5 SEPTEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sylvie Lemmet, Director, Division for Technology, Industry and Economics, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
"Another point to illustrate what we call the chemical intensification of the economy, is the fact that it's spreading in the daily life. Chemicals are not just used for discrete issues here and there, they are completely spread over in daily life through the penetration of chemical-intensive products in the average product that we are using."

FILE – FAO – DATE UNKNOWN, SRI LANKA 
 
13. Various shots, fumigation with chemicals 
14. Close up, water being absorbed by sand

CH UNTV – 5 SEPTEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Sylvie Lemmet, Director, Division for Technology, Industry and Economics, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
"We are now looking more and more at studies that document the high level of POPS Persistent Organic Pollutants, including in aquatic mammals, polar bears, fish-eating birds so it's going up into the food chain and there is evidence as well that these contaminants are responsible for the near-extinction of some species over the world."

FILE – UNEP – DATE AND LOCATION UNKNOWN

16. Med shot, polar bear
17. Various shots, selling fish

CH UNTV – 5 SEPTEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Sylvie Lemmet, Director, Division for Technology, Industry and Economics, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
"This is not without economic costs obviously.  There are very interesting evidence that unsound management of chemicals bear a very high cost. Just one example that I think you'll find in this report as well: if you look at the estimated cost of poisoning from pesticide in sub-Saharan Africa, only the injury and the loss of working time not talking about projection of whatever, future revenues, is estimated to be US$ 6.3 billion in 2009. This is higher than the total ODA that is going to the health sector in the same area."

FILE – FAO – MAY -JUNE 2011, NATIONAL LOCUST CENTRE AIRBASE, BETROKA, MADAGASCAR

19. Various shots, ground spraying operations

STORYLINE:

According to a new report launched today (5 September) by the United Nations Environment Progamme (UNEP) and partners, millions of deaths could be avoided around the world with better management of chemicals.

The report, entitled 'The Global Chemicals Outlook', argues that a shift in the production, use and disposal of chemical products from developed to developing countries has made it essential to establish better management policies to avoid diseases and pollution caused by weak regulations. 
 
"We are living in a world of chemicals", UNEP's Sylvie Lemmet told journalists in Geneva at the launch of the report. Based on the chemicals registered under the European Union Registration Evaluation Authorization and Restriction of the Use of Chemicals Substances, she said the number of chemicals existing in the global environment is estimated at about 143,000.

Lemmert noted that the "chemical intensification" is spreading into our daily lives, through the global use of personal care products, lubricants, adhesives, paints, electronics, and even childrens' toys, with heavy side effects on health and on the environment.

The high global level of persistent organic pollutants (POPS) found in some pesticides, for example, is not only responsible for the near-extinction of some animal species around the world, but is also entering the food chain and impacting on human health, according to UNEP.

The unsound management of chemicals also bears a high economic cost, particularly in developing countries. Lemmet cited the example of sub-Saharan Africa, where the estimated cost of poisoning from pesticides, resulting in injury and loss of working-time, was over six billion US dollars in 2009. "This", she said, "is higher than the total ODA that is going to the health sector in the same area."

The Global Chemicals Outlook report, the first of its kind, urges coordinated action by governments and industry to reduce the growing health and environmental hazards from chemicals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one of the partner bodies in the production of the report, as many as 4.9 million deaths could be avoided annually with better management of chemicals.

The study also finds that sound management of chemicals can deliver major economic benefits and support the green economy.