Talks On Managing Chemicals May Fail

United Nations talks on a voluntary global strategy for safely managing chemicals teetered close to the brink of failure on Feb. 6.

Positions taken by the Bush Administration have caused major headaches for negotiators convened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Latin American and Caribbean countries, working as a bloc called GRULAC, are also contributing to a potential stalemate.

The meeting, which began on Feb. 4 and is scheduled to conclude Feb. 6, is the culmination of three years of talks on a Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).

The agreement is designed to protect people and the environment from potentially harmful effects of chemicals. It is primarily aimed at developing countries with weak or no regulatory systems for chemicals management. SAICM would be a guideline, not a binding treaty, that would provide a list of possible policy options, such as regulations on the management of waste, that these nations could employ (C&EN, Sept. 19, 2005, page 27). Countries both rich and poor, the chemical industry, and labor and environmental activists around the world endorse the concept of SAICM.

After much wrangling, the U.S. and, separately, GRULAC, objected to parts of what was supposed to be the final version of SAICM. Talks are continuing, but if negotiators cannot strike a deal by a midnight deadline, the effort to create SAICM will almost certainly fail.

The U.S. opposes several parts of the draft SAICM. For instance, under a compromise, the current draft allows any country, such as the U.S., to exempt drugs and food additives from SAICM if that nation has separate regulations for these products and for commercial chemicals. Claudia A. McMurray, deputy assistant secretary of state for environment, said the U.S. will accept SAICM only if it provides a global exemption for pharmaceuticals and food additives.

GRULAC also contends that provisions on financial assistance to help developing countries adopt SAICM are too weak.