| Montreal, 16/07/1997 – The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) today released the full-text of the regional action plans aimed at reducing and eventually eliminating two dangerous pesticides, chlordane and DDT, from the North American environment.
The CEC Council announced the completion of the action plans at the close of its fourth annual session in Pittsburgh on June 13. A regional action plan for the reduction of PCBs was completed in April, and is already being implemented.
The action plans are a regional response to growing local and international concern over the detrimental impact of these toxic substances on human health and the environment. Implementing the action plans will also contribute to the reduction of long-range transport of air pollutants to the Arctic.
DDT was banned in the United States in the 1970s and, despite the fact that the U.S. still produces a small amount of chlordane, it has been unavailable for residential use in the U.S. since the late 1980s. Canada discontinued the remaining uses of DDT in 1985, and chlordane 10 years later. Mexico, which has agreed to phase out the use of DDT over the next 10 years, uses DDT to kill mosquitoes which may carry malaria. Chlordane is used to kill termites.
To access the electronic version of the action plans, visit the CEC Website at http://www.cce.cec.org. To obtain a hard-copy, contact the CEC Secretariat at the following:
e-mail: ccastell@ccemtl.org,
or fax (514) 350-4314. |
