GREEK COAST SEVERELY POLLUTED WITH TOXIC CHEMICALS

5 September 2000

ATHENS -- Greenpeace today called for an immediate ban on the use of toxic chemicals in ship paint after analyses revealed that they are severely polluting the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece.

Research commissioned by Greenpeace of sediment taken from Piraeus and Thessaloniki harbours and the sea close to popular swimming beaches around Salamina island have shown that toxic TBT (tributyl tin) and other organotin compounds are leaching from the anti-fouling paint used on ships into the Mediterranean Sea.

"These poisons are reaping havoc in the marine environment and could pose a threat to human health. Its clear they are leaching directly from ship paint into waters just metres from popular swimming areas. They must be banned immediately," said Stelios Psomas, Executive Director of Greenpeace Greece in a press conference in Athens today.

Levels of TBT in the sediments from Kynosoura, an area where paint is sand blasted from ships in the open sea without any consideration for human health and the environment, were as high as 89,600 microgrammes per Kg, a value which is 1.8 million times higher than the provisional limit set by the OSPAR convention in 1997. (1)

The toxicity of TBT prevents the growth of algae, barnacles and other marine organisms on the ship's hull. TBT is responsible for the disruption of the immune and endocrine systems of marine shellfish, leading to the development of male sex characteristics in females, an effect known as 'imposex'. It has also been detected in the tissues of marine mammals, such as seals, sea otters and water birds and shellfish around the world.

The impact of TBT on human health is also in question. This year, the Swedish National Chemicals Inspectorate (KemI) warned the Swedish government that: "The total human exposure to organotin compounds as a group gives rise to concern. It is doubtful whether the estimated safety margin is sufficient to protect humans from potential detrimental effects on the immune system". (2)

A recent submission by the governments of Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) reports numerous examples of imposex in marine species off the coasts of south-western Spain, Sicily and Portugal. It also says that imposex is common in whelks in the North Sea and has recently been found to be disrupting the hormones of snails.

Last year, following increased concern about the damage caused by these toxic chemicals, the IMO passed a resolution calling for a complete phase-out of the use of organotins, especially TBT, in ship paints by 2003 and for TBT-free alternatives to be used. However, the European Commission has recently rejected draft proposals by Belgium for a national ban on all organotin anti-fouling paints for use on ships.

"The European Commission and other governmental bodies should support initiatives to ban these toxic pollutants and encourage the shipping industry to use biocide-free paints. While progress towards a ban is obstructed, these hazardous chemicals continue to poison our seas," added Psomas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Stelios Psomas, Executive Director Greenpeace Greece +30 1 3806 374-5
- Matilda Bradshaw, Greenpeace International press desk + 31 20 524 9545

Visit Greenpeace's Toxics campaign website: www.greenpeace.org/~toxics

(1) OSPAR is the intergovernmental organisation that regulates marine pollution in the North East Atlantic (from Gibraltar to the Arctic).

(2) For further information contact the Swedish Environment Ministry website at: www.swedenvironment.environ.se/no0003/0003.html#art3

Further details are available on the Greenpeace International website:

· Results and further details about the sediment analyses - www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/reports/tbtgreek.html

· A copy of the submission by the governments of Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain to the IMO - www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/reports/medsubmission.pdf

· Greenpeace factsheet on TBT: A Global Problem for the Marine Environment - www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/reports/tbtfactsheet.html

Last week, Greenpeace revealed that eight inflatable beach bathing items made of soft PVC contain the toxic organotin compounds TBT. TBT has also been found in the printing materials used for logos on football shirts and in garden hoses, sport shoes, paints for interior decoration, foot sprays, and PVC flooring.