The fourth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee took place on 13-17 October 2008 in Geneva. The report of the meeting is available here.
The Committee established an intersessional working group on substitution and alternatives to POPs with the mandate to develop a text that describes the issues relating to alternatives and indicate the considerations related to persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport and toxicity that should be taken into account when dealing with possible alternative chemicals. In accordance with its mandate, the intersessional working group has prepared a draft general guidance text on alternatives to POPs.
Furthermore, the intersessional working group was also mandated to consider the modalities for producing a document on perfluorooctane sulfonate alternatives. Therefore, the group has drafted an outline for a possible guidance document. The development of the full guidance document is subject to approval by the POPs Review Committee at its fifth Meeting, scheduled to take place from 12 to 16 October 2009.
Parties and observers are invited to review the draft documents and to submit the comments no later than 26 June 2009. Submissions are most appreciated in electronic files by e-mail to ssc@pops.int.
| Letter of invitation to submit comments on the two draft guidance documents |
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Draft general guidance on considerations related to alternatives and substitutes for POPs
for comments |
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Draft annotated outline for a guidance document on alternatives to
perfluorooctane sulfonates (PFOS) for comments |
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