Official Statement of the Network in Support of Banning Dangerous Chemicals

We are calling for the government and the Hazardous Substances Control Bureau to immediately and unconditionally ban paraquat and chlorpyrifos and restrict the use of glyphosate.

The Advisory Committee of the Hazardous Substances Control Bureau is meeting to consider banning and restricting the use of hazardous substances on 23rd May 2018, with a specific focus on regulatory measures for paraquat, chlorpyrifos, and glyphosate. At this meeting, they plan to come to a conclusion after consideration of the available information on these chemicals, and to announce the decision on the same day.

The Network in Support of Banning Dangerous Chemicals comprises 369 organizations from 50 provinces to support the recommendation from the Ministry of Public Health to ban paraquat and chlorpyrifos and to restrict the use of glyphosate. The network has been closely following the development of this situation, and expresses disappointment in the lack of transparency in the decision-making process of whether to ban and restrict these chemicals or not. We have observed the following issues:

  1. Of the 12 members of the Advisory Committee established within the Hazardous Substances Control Bureau for the purpose of considering the question of whether to ban and regulate these chemicals; four individuals are current representatives or retirees from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and additional four individuals have shown their supports for and connections with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
  2. The Advisory Committee is using outdated information to guide its decision-making, while ignoring the large number of recent empirical studies and reports. For example, studies that point to the health and environmental risks associated with these chemicals have recently come from the Chulabhorn Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University, and Naresuan University.
  3. At least three posts in the Hazardous Substances Control Bureau are held by individuals with connections to companies that sell the three chemicals under consideration.

Therefore the network is calling on the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Hazardous Substances Control Bureau to manage the decision-making process on banning and regulating these chemicals to ensure transparency and avoid conflicts of interest. In this effort, the details of the decision-making process should be made available to the public and to the media, including both the votes of the individual participants in the Advisory Committee and the final results of the meeting of the Hazardous Substances Control Bureau.

If the decision-making process of the Hazardous Substances Control Bureau is delayed without justifiable causes, lacks transparency, or results in a decision that conflicts with the recommendation from the Ministry of Public Health on 16th May 2561 and from the academic community, the Network in Support of Banning Dangerous Chemicals will, based on our fundamental right to protect our health and environment, take action through organizing a demonstration in front of the Government House.

22 May 2561