Multilateral Cooperative Project on Environmentally Sound Management of Obsolete Pesticides Stockpiles in the Russian Federation

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Multilateral Cooperative Project on
Environmentally Sound Management of Obsolete
Pesticides Stockpiles in the Russian Federation

• Mr. Timo SeppäläFinnish Environment Institute,
  Helsinki, Finland
• Ms. Eleonora Barnes, Mr. Robert DyerU.S.
  Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,
  D.C., USA
• Mr. Jaakko HenttonenFinnish Consulate General in
  St. Petersburg, Russia
• Ms. Marina KlimovaCenter for International
  Projects, Moscow, Russia

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Obsolete pesticides in Russia

• Approximately 24 000 tonnesbased on existing
  documentation
• Mostly in the Southern agricultural regions
• Approximately 10 in the Arctic region

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Reasons for accumulation of obsolete pesticides

• Pesticides exceeding their shelf-life
• Changes in product registration and approval
• Excess quantities provided by off-farm
  authorities (Soviet legacy pesticides)
• Leftovers from donations under international
  development assistance programs
• Damage or loss of identity due to poor storage
  conditions

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Arctic Council ACAP project

• Arctic Council
• a voluntary organization of like-minded Arctic
  countries to eliminate pollution in the Arctic
• ACAP
• Arctic Council Action Plan to Eliminate Pollution
  of the Arctic

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Background

• In 1997, AMAP data high levels of a number of
  pesticides in Arctic animals
• In 2002, AMAP data observations of fresh sources
  of DDT and toxaphene in the Kara Sea and adjacent
  areas
• Studies of the cord blood of pregnant women in
  various indigenous communities in the Arctic
  showed elevated levels of many of these priority
  pesticides, indicating transport over long
  distances

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Action

• ACAP Obsolete pesticides project
• to protect the arctic nature from pesticide
  emissions
• by improving the storage conditions of obsolete
  pesticides
• analyzing unidentified stocks
• by pesticide destruction demonstration (100 t)
• by supporting Russian Federation to ratify and
  enforce the UNECE POP- and Stockholm
  POP-conventions

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Participants

• Steering Group
• Lead country Finland
• Other members Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia,
  Sweden, USA, UNEP Chemicals, AMAP and NEFCO
• Russian participants
• Centre of International Projects (CIP), Moscow
• Regional authorities, plant protection stations,
  sanepidnadzor
• Ministry of Agriculture
• Ministry of Natural Resources ? Rostechnadzor
• Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology
• Ministry of Health

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Phase I

• Inventories of obsolete pesticides in 11
  selected priority regions of the RF
• Includes screening analysis for the presence of
  mercury, arsenic and chlorinated organics

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8 Arctic 3 Sub-Arctic Regions

• Arctic regions
• Arkhangelsk (including Nenets Autonomous
  District), Komi, Krasnoyarsk Krai (including
  Taymyr Autonomous District), Magadan Region
  (including Chukchi Autonomous District), Republic
  of Sakha, Tyumen, Kamchatka Region (including
  Koryak Autonomous District), and Murmansk Region
• Sub-arctic regions
• Altai Krai (including Altai Republic), Kurgan and
  Omsk
• Finland working bilaterally with Republic of
  Karelia
• Denmark has similar bilateral activities in Pskov
  and Vologda

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Phase II

• Improvement of temporary storage conditions
• repackaging and labeling
• consolidation of stocks of waste pesticides
• Assessment and selection of the best available
  technologies and methods for estruction/disposal
  of pesticides stocks.

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Phase III

• Implementation of a model demonstration project
  for the environmentally sound destruction/disposal
  of obsolete pesticides
• 100 t

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Project Status

• All stocks in Arkhangelsk (64 t), Magadan (20 t)
  and Komi (18 t)- have been repackaged, analyzed
  and safely stored
• Similar projects in Tyumen (230 t) and Omsk (250
  t) will be completed in 2005
• Over 915 additional tons of obsolete and
  prohibited pesticides were discovered during the
  inventory development in the five regions
• 233 tons of unidentified pesticides have been
  analyzed in the five regions
• 93 tons have been repackaged
• 95,000 was contributed by the Russian Regions
  to co-fund, together with donor countries, these
  ACAP Regional Projects

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Project status (cont.)

• Projects in the Altai Republic (Gorny Altai) and
  Kurgan have started
• Gorny Altai
• 20 tons of obsolete pesticides have been located
• Many warehouses located in flood zones
• Kurgan
• Initial inventory is 1025 tons of obsolete
  pesticides
• 500 tons are in metal containers (over 30 years
  old) of 20-50 tons each
• The Project in Altai Krai (1414 tons) is pending
  additional funding from donors
• The Region is contributing 35,000 to the project
• Three Priority Regions remain for the completion
  of this project.

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Practical lessons

• All relevant agricultural, forestry, sanitary and
  veterinary agencies and experts needed
• Project steering committee meets and works
  directly with the regional experts ? best
  possible information for project development
• Long distances and large number of warehouses ?
  all the work in one visit to a district
• inventory development, assessment of storage
  facilities, sample collection, repackaging, and
  transportation to the safe warehouses
• Weather is a significant constraint? advance
  planning is necessary