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Development
of the reviews
of
scientific information on lead and cadmium
The UNEP Governing
Council, during its last regular session in February 2005, requested that
UNEP undertake the development of reviews
of scientific information on lead and cadmium, focusing especially on
long-range environmental transport, in order to inform future discussions
of the Governing Council on the possible need for global action in
relation to these two heavy metals. These scientific reviews were
made available to the Governing Council at its 24th regular session in
early 2007.
As
the process followed in developing the 2002
UNEP Global Mercury Assessment
report proved to be successful, ensuring a transparent process and broad
ownership of its results and recommendations, a similar process was
used to develop the reviews of lead and cadmium, taking into account that
the scope of the new reviews is more limited than that of the mercury
assessment.
Governments,
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations
were invited, through a
letter dated 16 May 2005 and a follow-up letter dated 28 February, to consider
submitting information relevant to the
scientific reviews and nominating member(s)
to the Working Group on lead and cadmium that assisted UNEP in
finalizing the reviews on lead and cadmium.
Members
of the Working Group assisted in the drafting and finalization of the
scientific reviews, first through two comment rounds by mail, then through
a meeting of the Working Group on Lead and
Cadmium, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland from 18 to 22
September 2006.
First
drafts of the reviews of scientific information on lead and cadmium, as of
24 May 2006, were circulated to members of the Working Group for comments
on 24 May 2006. These first drafts, together with the comments
received, are available here. UNEP
was in the process of reviewing the comments received. Revised drafts, as
of 18 August 2006, are available here.
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