Toxics Action Delivery Report Dust Research in The Hague

Greenpeace delivers a report about dust research to Minister Pronk of VROM (Housing, Regional Development and the Environment) in The Hague. Greenpeace collected vacuum cleaner bags from 8 European parliament buildings and studied the content of the bags. The research shows that the dust in the buildings contains toxic substances, it concerns brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and organotin. The so-called POP's (Persistent Organic Pollutants) are highly toxic and they do not decompose readily or quickly in the environment and they cover long distances in the environment and can be found in household dust, but also at the North Pole. They accumulate in the fatty of humans and animals and are often hormone disrupting. The chemical industry produces and uses them in products, like carpets, paints, televisions, cosmetics and computers. During the production, usage and waste phase the toxic substances leak from the products and pollute this way the environment. Greenpeace wants a ban on the production and usage of POP's and hopes that the pollution of the workplace of politicians will encourage them to forbid the production and usage of these and other damaging substances.