Banning by the barrel
November 2003 could go down in history as the beginning of a new era in the regulation of hazardous chemicals.
On November 26, 2003 Armenia ratified the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (pic) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. It was the 50th country to do so, thus enabling the treaty to come into force Februray 24, 2004 onwards. The convention seeks to provide countries with information on chemicals they import. "It will contribute to the goal of ensuring that, by 2020, chemicals are used and produced in ways that minimise adverse effects on human health and the environment,' said Klaus T