Singapore Government Press Release
SINGAPORE SIGNS THE STOCKHOLM CONVENTION: MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT PRESS RELEASE, 23 MAY 2001
Singapore has joined some 90 other countries in signing the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Professor Walter Woon, Singapore’s Ambassador to Germany, who is attending the Diplomatic Conference in Stockholm with senior officials from the Ministry of the Environment and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, signed the Stockholm Convention on behalf of the Singapore Government.
The signing ceremony was held on 23 May 2001 in Stockholm, Sweden – a day after some 110 countries formally adopted the Convention. With the successful conclusion of international negotiations, the Stockholm Convention is the first environmental treaty to be adopted in the 21st century.
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Footnote
The Stockholm Convention calls for measures and international cooperation to control the production, use, trade and disposal of substances termed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The initial list of 12 POPs covered under the Stockholm Convention are: aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex, toxaphene, PCBs, hexachlorobenzene, dioxins and furans.
Persistent organic pollutants are chemicals that resist degradation. Their persistence enables them to be transported by air, water or other means to remote regions where they have never been used. Their propensity to bio-accumulate in living tissues pose a risk to the well-being of human populations and wildlife. Scientific evidence has indicated that exposure to very low doses of certain POPs can lead to cancer, damage to the human nervous systems, diseases of the immune system, reproductive disorders and interference with normal infant and child development.
Ministry of the Environment
New Release No: 73/2001
23 May 01