Invitation to submit additional information related to quantities of a chemical occurring as unintentional trace contaminants in products and articles

In Note (i) of Part I of Annex A, as well as in Note (i) of Part I of Annex B, the Stockholm Convention states that: "Except as otherwise specified in this Convention, quantities of a chemical occurring as unintentional trace contaminants in products and articles shall not be considered to be listed in this Annex."

On 25 February 2010, the Secretariat received a letter from the European Commission inquiring how the notes should be applied to the newly listed persistent organic pollutants 

To facilitate discussions at the sixth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-6), the Secretariat invited, in August 2010,  Parties and observers to provide information on this matter. The information was submitted by eleven Parties and two observers, a summary of which was presented at the POPRC-6 as document UNEP/POPS/POPRC.6/INF/19/Rev.1.

At the POPRC-6, held from 10 to 15 October 2010, the Committee decided, through decision POPRC-6/11, that the compiled information related to national regulations on unintentional trace contaminants in products and articles was useful for the implementation of the Convention and that it could be revised with additional information to be received before 31 December 2010.  

Invitation letter

The Secretariat has sent a letter, together with document UNEP/POPS/POPRC.6/INF/19/Rev.1, to Official Contact Points (OCPs), National Focal Points (NFPs) and observers to the Stockholm Convention. The documents are available for download below:

  English French Spanish
Letter dated 10 November 2010:
Invitation to submit additional information related to quantities of a chemical occurring as unintentional trace contaminants in products and articles 
       
POPRC.6 Information document:
Information related to quantities of a chemical occurring as unintentional trace contaminants in products and articles
(document UNEP/POPS/POPRC.6/INF/19/Rev.1)
   
 
     
Letter dated 10 August 2010:
Invitation to provide information related to quantities of a chemical occurring as unintentional trace contaminants in products and articles


How to submit the information

Parties and observers are invited to review document UNEP/POPS/POPRC.6/INF/19/Rev.1 and provide any correction or additional information, before 31 December 2010, as listed below:

  1. How their national regulation defines unintentional trace contaminants in products and articles; and
  2. Their experience in applying the clause in practice.

The information will be presented at the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, which will take place from 25 to 29 April 2010.

Submissions are most appreciated in electronic files by e-mail to ssc@pops.int and kohno@pops.int.  Should this not be possible, submissions can be sent by fax (+41 22) 917 8098), or as hard copy documents, by post mail to:

Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention
Att: POPs Review Committee
Ms. Kei Ohno
United Nations Environment Programme
11-13 chemin des Anemones
CH-1219, Chatelaine, Geneva, Switzerland

For further information please contact Ms. Kei Ohno (e-mail: kohno@pops.int; telephone +41 22 917 8201).