Toxic Heavy Metals, Act II
A resolution to increase the quality of the world's environment, at the expense of industry.Category: EnvironmentalIndustry Affected: All Businesses - StrongProposed by: Herby
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The General Assembly HEREBY:
DEFINES the following:REQUIRES member nations to research alternatives to toxic heavy metals, where economically and technologically feasible;
- "heavy metal" as a metal that is relatively dense to other metals or has a high atomic number or atomic mass;
- a "toxic" material as one that is harmful, poisonous or can cause death or debilitating disease, including cancer;
- "toxic heavy metal" as a heavy metal that is toxic in relatively low to moderate concentrations, including (but not limited to) mercury, chromium, arsenic, lead and cadmium;
- "entity" as any person, company, corporation, cooperative, club, educational institution, or any division of national, state, provincial, county or municipal government, that may mine, process, use, or dispose of toxic heavy metals.
MANDATES that entities reduce, reuse and recycle toxic heavy metals to the extent feasible under readily available technology;
DECREES that entities must provide employees, contractors, visitors, and any other persons who may contact toxic heavy metals during their processing, mining or disposal, with the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as the appropriate and sufficient training in the use of such PPE;
TASKS the World Assembly Scientific Programme (WASP) to:PROHIBITS the intentional discharge of a toxic heavy metal or its compound, in an amount above the de minimis concentration or quantity, into the environment, including unlined landfills;
- generate a list of toxic heavy metals, including their compounds, that fit the above definitions to be covered under this regulation, including, at a minimum, mercury, chromium, arsenic, lead and cadmium;
- determine a de minimis concentration or quantity for each listed metal and compound, above which intentional discharge of the metal or compound into the environment is prohibited;
- determine a reportable quantity threshold for each listed metal and compound, above which accidental or intentional discharge of the metal or compound into the environment must be reported to WASP.
CLARIFIES that member nations may permit the disposal of toxic heavy metals in landfills that are lined to prevent the contamination of groundwater or underlying soil, subject to extant and future international, national or local hazardous and/or solid waste laws and regulations;
BANS the future use of toxic heavy metals in constructing residential homes and other household items where they can leach and/or be ingested or consumed, especially by children; for example, in interior paints, solders in water piping joints, thermostats, ceramics, and other exposed surfaces;
IMPLORES member nations to incentivize the safe removal of such items from existing homes and their replacement with non-toxic materials;
DIRECTS entities to document and report the accidental release of toxic heavy metals above the reportable quantity threshold into the environment;
INSTRUCTS member nations to aggregate these reports on an annual basis, including documentation of any prohibited discharges, and submit these annual reports to WASP;
NOTES that member nations may set their own emission standards that are stricter than the de minimis quantities and concentrations set by WASP, or set additional reporting requirements above and beyond those required by this resolution.
Co-authored by Wrapper.