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
"An updated country list as at 12th February 2007, appears at www.lead.org.au/fs/fst27.html

Also see www.unep.org/pcfv/Events/3GPM.htm ###