PARENT SESSION

(05-03) OECD/UNEP workshop on multimedia models in PBTs/POPs Assessment I overall conclusions and recommendations.

Toda, Eisaku^*,1, Boethling, Robert², Cowan-Ellsberry, Christina³, Farret, Régis⁵, Gutzman, Don⁶, Matthies, Michael⁷, Wagner, Burkhard, Wahlström, Bo, ¹ OECD, Paris, France² USEPA, Washington D.C.³ The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio⁵ Environment Canada, Hull, Canada⁶ University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany⁷ Umweltbundesamt, Berlin, Germany

ABSTRACT- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) co-organised a workshop on the use of multimedia models for estimating overall environmental persistence and long-range transport in the context of PBTs/POPs assessment. The workshop, attended by 65 experts from around the world with equal representation from multimedia model developers and users, was held in Ottawa on 29-31 October 2001, co-hosted by Environment Canada and the USEPA. The principal objective was to help both research and regulatory/policy communities understand and more effectively apply estimates of overall environmental persistence and LRT potential derived from multimedia models. Three subgroups produced technical reports on (1) the use of multimedia models; (2) model design and sensitivity; and (3) data needs. Based on the conclusions from the subgroups, the workshop recommended further work by OECD, UNEP and other bodies for (1) more harmonised approaches in assessment of persistence and LRT potential; (2) the methods for ranking and classifying substances for persistence and LRT; (3) a guidance document on the use of multimedia models; and (4) intercomparison of geo-referenced models and other multimedia models of varying complexity. An expert group in OECD will start activities to follow up these conclusions and recommendations. The outcomes of the workshop will also be presented at the next International Negotiating Committee of the Stockholm Convention on POPs in June.

Key words: persistent organic pollutants, multimedia models, overall persistence, long-range transport