How big is the problem?

It is very difficult to estimate to assess the real extent of the obsolete pesticides problem, as only a limited number of field investigations have been made globally, but the best preliminary guess gives the next Table:

Region Estimated Tonnes Sources of information
EU-25 30 -32,000 IHPA update and POPs Convention (NIPs)
South-East Europe 30-32,000 IHPA update and POPs Convention (NIPs)
Former Soviet Union area 118-225,000 IHPA update and POPs Convention (NIPs)
Africa 25,000 FAO
South East Asia 2,500 FAO (first rough indication)
Central and South America 30,000 FAO

Status: End 2007

An Overview of estimated amounts of Obsolete Pesticides in countries of Eastern and Central Europe, the former Soviet Union and Central Asia gives the following table:

Country/State Estimated Total Tonnes
Obsolete Pesticides
Albania 0
Armenia 800
Azerbaijan 4,000
Belarus 6,558
Bosnia and Herzegovina Unknown
Bulgaria 14103
Croatia None
Czech Republic 400
Estonia 0
Georgia 3,000
Hungary 200
Kazakhstan 10,000
Kosovo 8
Kyrgyzstan 3,000
Latvia 10
Lithuania (2,000)*
Macedonia 33-38,000
Moldova 5,450
Montenegro Unknown
Poland 5,000-7,000
Romania 1,000
Russian Federation > 100,000
Serbia Unknown
Slovakia
300
Slovenia 350-400
Tajikistan 15,160
Turkey 3,000-3,300
Turkmenistan 1,671
Ukraine 31,700
Uzbekistan 17,718
Total 256,728-263,728

Status September 2008:

*in Lithuania at present an elimination project is running at present (October 2007) 73% funded by the Cohesion Fund and 27% from national funding. By spring, 2009 the 2000 tonnes in the list will be eliminated and therefore this amount is not included in the total volume

Please note that IHPA does not take any responsibility for the correctness of the data. The numbers are periodically changing due to new inventory data and/or disposal actions

About IHPA

The International HCH & Pesticides Association (IHPA) is an independent and non-political network of committed individuals that wants to draw international attention on the world-wide problems stemming from the production and use of HCH and other obsolete pesticides and its dangers for human health and the environment.

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