Presented by Dr. Hanna Bou-Habib and Dr. Naji Kodeih

The long civil war in Lebanon had lead to the fact, that the Lebanese Government lost control of the imported goods among which there could be DDT and many other POPs. But as the Government is recovering, it took huge steps towards the control of these Environmental Hazards.

As the Lebanese Government is aware of the danger posed by POPs on health and environment, it created the so called "committee of insecticides and agricultural chemicals." to study the economical, health, and environmental aspects of those substances among which there are many, that are classified as POPs. This committee after four years of study and investigations found that there are still many dangerous substances in use in agriculture. One of the reasons is their cheap price. This committee issued a Black List containing all the chemicals and insecticides to be prohibited for use in Lebanon. Among those substances are all polychlorinated organic insecticides. Unfortunately, Lindane or Gamma HCH, was found to be still useful and is still permitted for use as an agricultural insecticide. Even the updated Black List containing 109 substances (20 May 1998) still permits Lindane. Therefore at the present time, only Lindane is used.

The future perspectives are: Lebanon is making an integrated economical study for the replacement of chemical insecticides among which is Lindane, by environmentally safe methods. These methods under study include: Biological methods (microbes, viruses, and natural enemies.) Crop rotation, Solar energy, Resistant to diseases plants.

The other important POPs are the PCBs and PCTs used in power transformers. All the old transformers in Lebanon use these substances as cooling agents. We expect that some of these substances were released when, during the war some power transformers were hit by shells and punctured. As we know, the PCBs and PCTs are safe when they are inside the transformers, so there are no plans to replace these transformers, as long as they are still in use. All the new power transformers installed in Lebanon after the war, do not contain PCBs or PCTs. We will face a big problem, when the old power transformers will expire.

Ministry of Environment (MOE), aware of this problem, had initiated an adjoint study with ETEC called: Director Plan of the Collection and Management of Used Oil. This study contains a part dedicated to PCBs and PCTs, and is still in its early stages.

The proper disposal of PCBs and PCTs is very expensive. They need special incinerators operating at temperatures as high as 1400 degrees Celsius in order to prevent the formation of highly dangerous and carcinogenic Dioxins, also due to the fact that this problem is a temporary one. (As sometime PCBs and PCTs containing power transformers will be replaced), then there is no point to waste money on such incinerators. The proper solution is to make a deal between the Lebanese Government and any other country, which is operating such incinerators to handle them. (This does not conflict with the Basel Convention, and Sweden made such a deal).

The MOE had closed all the existing incinerators, and has no intention to build new ones. This is a general policy followed by Lebanon to prevent air pollution.

Other projects undertaken by MOE and the Government of Lebanon and concerning POPs are:

-An adjoint study with Sweden, about the pollution in Litany River and Lake Karaoun will also include pollution caused by POPs.

-National Industrial Waste Management Plan made by Dar Al Handassah for the MOE also deals with this issue national wide.

-A plan to prevent pollution of the Mediterranean Sea, carried by Lebanon with the aid of the European Community, also will deal with POPs.

-Monitoring of chemical pollutants including POPs. Executed by MED-POL, a part of MAP, in Barcelona Convention.

As we can see, Lebanon is dealing actively with this problem.

Find attached the Black List issued by the Ministry of Agriculture on 20/05/1998.