OECD Declaration – Historical Perspective:

In February 1996 the Environment Ministers of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) issued a Declaration on Lead Risk Reduction seeking to voluntarily develop and strengthen national and cooperative efforts considered necessary to reduce risks from exposure to lead.

The goals of the Declaration include efforts to:

• phase out leaded gasoline
• eliminate childhood exposure to lead
• eliminate leaded food packaging
• restrict leaching from ceramic-ware and lead crystal
• restrict environmental contamination from lead shot and fishing sinkers
• reduce occupational and population exposure to lead

The Declaration proposed the extension of international cooperative efforts, but recognized the differing needs and priorities of member and non-member countries and called for flexible national risk reduction strategies and time frames. It promotes sustainable development and improvements in recycling of waste materials through viable collection systems and recycling programs. It also provides for information exchanges about exposures of concern, risk reduction options and environmentally sound and economically viable solutions.

The Declaration also initiated a process, which would continue to review lead levels in the environment and exposure to lead for sensitive populations such as workers and children in order to evaluate the effectiveness of action programs.

Industry Response - The International Lead Management Center:

The International lead industry recognizes that exposure to lead can result in risk to human

health and the environment and in this context was invited to share their experience in the sound management and prudent use of products containing lead. To address the needs of OECD and non-OECD countries, the international lead industry proposed to undertake a voluntary risk reduction action program. Execution of this voluntary initiative was placed under the auspices of the International Lead Management Center (ILMC). ILMC, upon invitation from a national government assists in the identification, planning and implementation of appropriate lead risk reduction measures as multi-stakeholder consultative programs with all parties committed to reduce lead exposure.

Sector based voluntary risk reduction initiatives involve ILMC and representative industry associations in the preparation and collation of materials designed to keep each sector aware of the latest advances in risk reduction technologies.

In addition the Center would prepare information, provide data bases and make expertise available to:

• reduce occupational exposure
• improve lead recycling performance
• abate industrial discharges and emissions

The International Lead Management Center Organization:

The International Lead Management Center is located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA and was established July 1996 by the following major mining and lead producing corporations:

• ASARCO - USA: one of the worlds leading producers of nonferrous metals, principally copper, silver, lead and zinc. - USA: one of the worlds leading producers of nonferrous metals, principally copper, silver, lead and zinc.
• BHP Cannington – Australia: more than 100 years in business and a broadly based global resources leader in metals and energy resources.
• Boliden - Sweden: a thoroughly integrated smelting and refining company for pure ores as well as complex and contaminated raw materials. - Sweden: a thoroughly integrated smelting and refining company for pure ores as well as complex and contaminated raw materials.
• Cominco - Canada: one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of zinc concentrates and lead metal.
• Doe Run - USA: the life cycle company, is North America’s largest integrated lead min-ing, milling, smelting and recycling company
• Met-Mex Peñoles - Mexico: one of Mexico’s main natural resources and industrial groups.
• MIM Holdings - Australia: is a major international metals and energy company which mines and produces gold, copper, silver, lead and zinc. - Australia: is a major international metals and energy company which mines and produces gold, copper, silver, lead and zinc.
• Noranda - Canada: one of the world’s largest producers of zinc and nickel, and major producers of copper, lead, gold, silver and potash.
• Pasminco - Australia: one of the world’s largest vertically integrated base metal companies producing lead and zinc concentrates, lead, zinc and silver metals as well as the various alloys and by-products.
• Union Miniere - Belgium: a world leader in the nonferrous metals sector, UM produces and sells more than 20 nonferrous metals for basic and advanced technology industries, the construction sector and research. - Belgium: a world leader in the nonferrous metals sector, UM produces and sells more than 20 nonferrous metals for basic and advanced technology industries, the construction sector and research.

The Policy Advisory Group (PAG) is a non-industry body of seven independent experts with international experience and expertise in lead mining, smelting, refining and recycling, occupational and public health, risk reduction programs and technology transfer. The PAG will ensure that ILMC activities are consistent with the needs of the international community and provides:

• selection and assessment of risk reduction programs
• process direction and transparency
• enhancement of project feasibility and capability
• a progress review and assessment of success and effectiveness

Dr. Craig Boreiko is the Executive Director, Brian Wilson, the Program Manager and Anita Wright supplies administrative support.

The membership of ILMC possesses considerable experience in a variety of risk management areas and making this expertise available to address technical inquiries or to actively participate in risk reduction efforts is one of the important coordinating functions.

The ILMC Principles:

ILMC maintains certain principles in all its activities:

• voluntary participation in effective lead risk reduction programs
• there should be partnership and shared responsibility
• cooperative investigations by all the interested parties
• data would be collected and collated and shared in a transparent manner
• strategies would be integrated with existing or proposed control measures
• pilot programs will be flexible reflecting priorities and needs

The ILMC Sector Action:

ILMC is currently working with the OECD and the United Nations Environment Program, Industry and the Environment (UNEP-IE) to phase out leaded gasoline.

A partnership between the International Crystal Federation (ICF), ILMC and Rutgers University is preparing lead risk reduction material for the ceramics and crystal glassware industry.

Industrial emissions, waste management issues and recycling are being undertaken in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in partnership with local secondary lead plants.

Environmental concerns associated with sporting activities are being appraised by ILMC in the preparation of a "Code of Practice" for the US National Sports Shooting Federation.

The ILMC and the Phase Out of Leaded Gasoline:

Many countries are attempting to establish an adequate public health policy to reduce the use of lead-containing additives in automotive fuels. ILMC participated in consultations convened by UNEP and OECD and as a consequence ILMC is establishing a clearing-house on information pertaining to lead in gasoline.

This function requires the preparation of an annotated bibliography as a guide for countries formulating public health policy on this issue. It also includes the development of a variety of information packages, including databases

Finally, ILMC will help to establish a library of successful case histories to extend the knowledge base for the International community.

You can find the ILMC at www.ILMC.org

Contents   Previous Item        Next Item