COP-12 of Rotterdam Convention keeps inclusion of chrysotile asbestos in Annex III pending

[Gopal Krishna]

COP-12 of Rotterdam Convention keeps inclusion of chrysotile asbestos in Annex III pending

Notably, the list of hazardous chemicals under Part II of the Schedule I under The Manufacture Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989 has 434 chemicals including asbestos. But since February 2005, government of India has been contending at the meetings of Rotterdam Convention that chrysotile asbestos is not a hazardous chemical and resisting its inclusion in the Annexure III includes pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been banned or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons by two or more Parties and which the Conference of the Parties has decided to subject to the PIC procedure!