A ban on the importation of electrical gadgets which contain ozone depleting chemicals (ODCs) will become effective by the end of 2010, an official of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said.
The measure is in accordance with the Montreal Protocol, which enjoins countries to stop the manufacture and importation of such gadgets.
When the ban comes into effect, goods such as second-hand refrigerators, computers and vehicular tyres containing those substances will not be allowed into the country.
The Public Relations Officer of the EPA, Mr William Abaidoo, told the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra that the Montreal Protocol placed trade sanctions on substances that depleted the ozone layer, as well as a limitation on the importation of such goods, particularly into Third World countries.
Mr Abaidoo said most of those gadgets imported into the country had almost reached the end of their lifespan and, therefore, their continued importation would make the country a dumping site for such goods.
He said most of those electrical gadgets had been abandoned elsewhere, adding that worn-out tyres and scraps from the computers were burnt for various activities.
Experts believe that the substances or the compounds, such as chloroflourocarbons (CFCs), which are emitted into the atmosphere could significantly deplete the ozone layer that shields the planet from harmful ultra-violet rays from the sun.
Mr Abaidoo said most people were ignorant of the toxic substances that were found in such gadgets, adding that young men who were engaged in removing copper wires from scraps were highly at risk, since they were exposed to those toxic substances.
He advised government agencies to work in concert with the EPA to enforce the ban to check the inflow of such goods in order to prevent the country from being a dumping site for such goods.
No comments:
Post a Comment