European
Report; April 30,
2008 -
EU/ROTTERDAM
CONVENTION :
CONTROLS TO COVER ADDITIONAL HAZARDOUS
SUBSTANCES
Another three hazardous
substances - chrysotile asbestos, endosulfan and
tributyl tin compounds - could by the end of the year
be placed under the Prior Informed Consent (PIC)
procedure applicable to international trade in certain
hazardous chemicals and pesticides. In a draft Council
decision (COM(2008)176), the European Commission
proposes to support the proposal amending to that
effect Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention(1), which
will be submitted to the Fourth Conference of Parties
(Rome, 27-31 October 2008). The Commission considers
it "necessary and advisable" to support this proposal
to ensure that countries of import benefit from the
protection afforded by the convention. It notes that
the three substances are already prohibited or
strictly regulated in the EU and subject to export
requirements that are even stricter than those set by
the convention. The Rotterdam Convention encourages
the sharing of responsibilities and cooperation
between contracting parties in the area of
international trade in certain hazardous chemical
substances. It encourages ecologically rational use of
these substances by facilitating the exchange of
information on their characteristics, establishing a
national decision-making process applicable to import
and export, and notifying these decisions to the
contracting parties. Annex III contains the list of
chemical substances covered by the PIC procedure. The
document is available at www.europolitics.info >
Search > 224620
(1) The convention was
adopted in Rotterdam, on 10 September 1998, and
entered into force on 24 February 2004. It was
ratified by the EU on 25 September 2006. Council
Decision 2006/730/EC - OJ L 299 of 28 October 2006.
BAN ASBESTOS
CANADA - MEDIA RELEASE - March 16, 2008
Ban Asbestos Canada (BAC)
applauds the NDP's support for the World Health
organization's call for action to eliminate asbestos
disease and asbestos use around the world. "This is
the first Canadian parliamentary party to take a stand
against asbestos," said Larry Stoffman, executive
member of BAC and Chair of the National Committee on
Occupational and Environmental Exposures. "Canada is
one of the few industrialized countries who have
continued to mine and export asbestos while rejecting
the call of all independent, recognized scientific
organizations around the world to ban all forms of
asbestos." BAC is a
national coalition of labour, health, and
environmental groups that are dedicated to banning
asbestos in Canada, ensuring compensation for all
affected Canadian workers, and to promoting
international conventions aimed at controlling the
international trade in hazardous substances, such as
asbestos. "We look
forward to working with the NDP to ensure both real
economic support for laid off asbestos workers and a
comprehensive campaign for just compensation for
thousands of Canadian workers afflicted with asbestos
caused disease," said Wayne Peppard, Executive
Director of the BC & Yukon Construction Building
Trades Council. "Government support for this dying
industry that has exploited Quebec workers must stop
now." "From a public
health point of view, the NDP's support for the WHO's
position is, in our view, the only possible
responsible position," stated Micheline Marier of the
Association of Asbestos Victims of Quebec. "The
population in the Asbestos region has paid a heavy
price since the beginning of mining this mineral and
we call on governments to assist in the revitalization
of the region, as well as the environmental clean-up
of the former asbestos mines" said
Marier. Increasing
numbers of Canadians are dying from asbestos, the
world's biggest occupational health killer. In 2007 in
B.C., for example, over half of occupational deaths
were from asbestos-related disease."This carnage from
asbestos related fatalities is disastrous for those
workers and their families," Peppard said. "It's long
past time that the Canadian government stop the
production and use of
asbestos". Canada
exports over 95% of its asbestos to developing
countries and has continually undermined any attempt
to have asbestos banned or labeled as a dangerous
product. "We are
calling on all the political parties to end their
unholy alliance with the asbestos industry," said
Kathleen Ruff, founder of RightOnCanada, a citizens'
human rights group. "All the political parties say
their top commitment is to protect people's health.
Let's see them put that commitment into action
and eliminate asbestos use now."
Contacts: Larry Stoffman -
604-250-3713; Wayne Peppard - 778 388-0014; Kathleen
Ruff - 250-847-1848; Micheline Marier -
514-847-8381.
Announcement
(Wednesday,
March 19, 2008; Posted: 05:02 PM).THETFORD MINES,
QUEBEC, Mar 19, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX). Mazarin
Inc. (TSX VENTURE: MAZ.H) announces that its
wholly-owned subsidiary, 9075-6453 Quebec Inc. was
forced to assign all of its assets in the hands of
Raymond Chabot Inc., trustee. The subsidiary is the
owner of the Bell mine in Thetford Mines. Last August,
it had authorized, under certain conditions, 9184-6808
Quebec Inc. (LAB Chrysotile) to operate the mine. At
the end of this month, LAB Chrysotile will cease
operations at the Bell mine. After considering several
avenues, the subsidiary has concluded that its limited
financial resources did not allow it to operate the
mine or to meet its financial obligations on an
ongoing basis. This press release contains
forward-looking statements which reflect the Company's
current expectations regarding future events. The
forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially
from those projected herein. The TSX Venture Exchange
does not
accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release. SOURCE: Mazarin Inc. According to a press
article, it appears that law through access to
information in Canada, it was discovered in 2006 that
there is some kind of understanding between Canada and
other exporting countries asbestos (like Russia and
Kyrgyzstan), to maintain artificially high prices of
asbestos in order to prevent the bankruptcy of the
Canadian asbestos in return for funding of the
institute of chrysotile by Canada which becomes the
propagandist of asbestos in the world. But last year,
the Canadian dollar has risen considerably, thereby
increasing the cost of Canadian goods to other
countries that can no longer sustain competition. And
that is perhaps the reason, in spite of the agreement,
the bankruptcy of the mine Bell Thetfort Mines.
Media
release
dated March 11, 2008, OMG in the world, to save
the Rotterdam Convention
Endangering
others: the
appeal court of Douai just order the company Alstom,
March 6, 2008, be punished by a fine of 75,000 euros
(confirming the judgement of first instance in Lille
in 2006) for knowingly allowed the 300 employees of
the Lys-Les-Lannoy into contact with asbestos in full
knowledge of the risks from 1998 to 2001, and a former
director of the factory in 3000 euros fine and 3
months suspended prison term (instead of 9 months
sentence in the first instance, the Court having
considered that the director was merely relaying the
will of the leadership, minimizing liability). On this
last point, the employees are very unhappy because
more than 100 of them are sick from asbestos and a
dozen died. On March 14, Alstom Power Boilers
indicates that it does not provide for judicial
review.
International
Meeting in
Austria
on 6 and 7 February 2008 for a ban on asbestos in
the world.
Report
Henri
Pezerat
against Bernstein's work on chrysotile asbestos
Aulnay-Sous-Bois'
CMMP
disused
factory
A new demolition
permit and a new plan for asbestos removal must be
presented for the totallity of the site, after the
annulation, cancellation by law of those given only
for block B (old asbestos workshop).
The prefect, during
a meeting including the associations, promised that a
first flexible project, adressed to the Health, Labour
and Ecology ministries for verification, would then be
submitted, for discussion, to all protagonists,
including the associations (letter sent be the
associations on the 31/10/2007 to the
ministers).
On Saturday
25/11/2007, France3 mentionned the file on this
contaminated site (see videos on page struggle
/history and it was mentionned that the prefecture
would at last give to CMMP the order to take numerous
samples, so far this has not been done, when the
regularitions insist on this before any demolition
work is started (the associations have been asking for
this for years). On the 10/12/07 they send to the
ministries another letter which specific regards as to
technical issues. On the 25/02/2008, the associations
contacted the prefect again, because there was
absolutly no follow up to the France3 november
broadcast. Complete radio silence !
On the 29/03/2008
they wrote to the new Aulnay Sous Bois mayor to inform
him of the polluted site present situation and to ask
for his support in installing an external protection
bubble. On the 07/04/2008 they send a reminder to the
ministries (Health, Labour, Ecology), the 11/04 they
issued a press release and the 06/04 they organised a
public meeting. Around 100 people came to the
Gainville suite in Aulnay Sous Bois. The new mayor and
his environmental aide were present. Monsieur
Ségura, was in favour of "demolition in the
best conditions", then Monsieur Amédro asserted
that "the town is for demolition under external
protection airtight bubble". They promised their
support to the associations in their approach to the
authorithies and to act for the installation of urgent
measures for the safety of the locals. At the end of
the meeting, two motions were voted by the
participants to be sent to the prefect.
The new mayor wrote
to the Prefect about the emergency procedure for the
safety of the locals and issued a press release. The
associations will meet him soon. The Mayor is to meet
on site with the associations on the 3rd June. In this
way, they will be able to witness the immediate
security measures taken by the owner, before work on
the site can be started.
Watch this site
....
The
Albert tower in Paris
:
In regard to the
disposal of asbestos, the foreman insisted on the
solutions recommended by CRAMIF with the endorsment by
the work Inspection Department. It brought about
further costs, but that's the price of safety. The
cheap working yards for asbestos removal, are most of
the time in breach of regulations (at the last
national control, 75 % the sites were in infraction
!). In the case of the Albert tower with its twenty
three floors and three elevators in the well an
adequate solution had to be found : one elevator cut
off, the working machinary protected by airtight
casing which will completly cut it off from the well,
stopage of the working of the elevators during the
dust removal from the well at night, the use of the
roof of the elevators as scaffolding. The three
elevators go down simultanously as the dust removal
progresses, from the top to the bottom while a strong
air current blows in the same direction to stop the
fibres going back up and thus contaminate the clean
areas. In this way, the disposing of the asbestos can
be done following regulations. The work is done in
several stages.
Today, the fourth
phase of the work has been put back several weeks,
following the breaching of a wall leading to a suspect
flocking in the car park area. Alerted by the
co-owners, Ban Asbestos send a mail on the 25/02/2008
to the work inspector supervising this site. Work
should normally start again on Monday 21/04. The
preparation of the site starting again towards the
suspect flocking, Ban Asbestos went on site to take
photos and to intervene once again with the work
inspector.
No account was
taken of our warnings and the disposal of asbestos
started again the week of the 25/04 during 5 nights
with access to the car park doubtful flocking. Now,
this time, will precautions be taken for the
dismantling of this site ? Will the suspect flocking
be at last taken away following regulations for flaky
asbestos ?
Watch this site
....
The
"Comédie Française" in Paris
:
For the second time
in a few months, the leading institution of a certain
"french culture" found itself in front of the "social
security cases court ", to answer to the accusation of
inexcusable negligence.
A first action had
been taken by the widow of F. Delayre, electrician at
the "Comédie Française". He died of a
bronco pulmonary cancer. The judgement given by the
Auxerre (TASS) had heavily sanctionned the famous
house, who since has appealed.
On the 02/02/2008,
in Nanterre, madame D. Brought a charge against this
establishment. Her husband, a machinist/stage hand,
had worked for them all his life. He died on the
27/04/2003 of a fibrosis diagnosed in 1980.
Solicitor for the
D. Family, maître Sylvie Topoaloff, presented
all the different elements of a daming case against
mister D's employer, from the medical certificate
asking the recognition of a professional illness, to
the repeated interventions by CHSCT, the CRAMIF, etc
...
"An extradocumented
file on the realisation of the danger" concluded
maître Topaloff.
In answer, the
lawyer for the Comédie Française tried
to discredit the testimonies of the file, while
trivalising the origins of the asbestos pollution of
the site and trying to present it as a succession of
airtight compartments, free of all lethal fibres. She
then produced her joker : the certificate of an
"independant" (sic) doctor, who reinterpreted without
the permission of the family and in violation of
professional ethic, the medical file of Mr D. Among
this interpretation, one must note "hypersensibility
to birds" because Mr D. Kept a canary. Nobody knew,
until now, that feathers could cause pulmonary
fibrosis.
Judgement was
given. It did not condemn the Comédie
Française for gross negligence and dismissed
all the widow's demands. It provoked utter
consternation and great anger within the victim's
family and quite rightly because the case against the
Comedie was overwhelming. Monsieur D'family has
decided to appeal. The complete file will be
transfered to the Versailles Appeal Court.
The second
proceeding against the Comedie Française
(Monsieur Delayre) must take place on June 12 to
Appeal Court.
Watch this site
......
