The Lead
Education and Abatement Design Group
Working to eliminate childhood and foetal lead poisoning
by the year 2012 and to protect the environment from lead
ABN 25 819 463 114
Last month in New Delhi, at the third global
meeting of the Partnership for Cleaner Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV), part of the
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Elizabeth O’Brien of the Global
Lead Advice & Support Service (GLASS), Australia proposed a global ban on leaded petrol by the end of 2005. The
proposal, from the world’s only lead information and referral service (run by
a community group from Summer Hill, Sydney), was accepted by the partners who
hail from many countries, and include representatives from government and
industry-run petroleum refineries and auto manufacturers.
"Now the real work begins," says the
Manager of GLASS, Elizabeth O’Brien. "The UN staff of the PCFV
have asked all the partners to locate government or petroleum industry
contacts in each of the 67 countries where leaded petrol is still sold
in order to offer a team of experts from among the partnership members
to assist with each country’s ban on leaded petrol. GLASS has been
asked to find non-government organizations (NGOs) in each country who
can lobby for lead petrol phase-out and publicize locally the huge
environmental health benefits of meeting the 2005 deadline for global
success."
"This is arguably the most important toxic
control deadline ever set and its achievement is vital to child, adult
and environmental health worldwide. Adding lead to petrol remains one of
the greatest environmental health disasters of the twentieth century and
the end of leaded petrol denotes a world in which health comes before
profits," says O’Brien.
"Please contact GLASS on +61 2 9716 0132
or Email
if you know of any appropriate NGOs in the final 67 countries so we can
get this show on the road!"
*** If using this media release
without the full country list please refer readers / listeners to www.lead.org.au/mr/20050127.html
