Colombo/Bangkok, 6 December 2006 – Asthma sufferers across Asia are set to get the benefits of a treatment that is not only good for their health, but also good for the environment. A strategic approach to the phase-out of inhalers that use Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and actions that South Asian countries can take, discussed during a meeting held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 3-6 December, is expected to facilitate achievement of this objective.

These inhalers, commonly known as Metered-Dose Inhalants (MDIs), are used for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), two very common lung diseases that affect an estimated 300 million people worldwide. The propellants used in MDIs are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), an ODS controlled under the Montreal Protocol.

“Ozone-friendly alternatives for people who use these inhalers are now available in some developed countries like Japan and Australia. While many developing countries still import MDI, domestic industries that do manufacture MDIs are at various stages of adopting these new technologies. We should use this opportunity to plan for the adaptation to this technology change,” said Ms. Gerda Merckx, Network Policy Manager, UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE).

Reports indicate that more than a quarter of adult population in developing countries suffer from COPD. There has also been a steady increase in the prevalence of asthma that ranges from nearly 1 per cent in countries such as Indonesia to over 30 per cent in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia. 

“Given the prevalence of these diseases and evidence of their increasing numbers in developing countries, and the fact that they have committed to phase-out of CFCs under the Montreal Protocol, it is important that governments as well as the industries work towards not only CFC-friendly inhalers, but ensure that they are within the reach of the people who need them. South-South Cooperation in this regard needs to be promoted to facilitate transition to CFC-free MDIs,” said Mr. Nimal Siripala De Silva, Sri Lankan Minister of Health Care and Nutrition.

The phase-out of CFCs in MDI was discussed recently at the Meeting of Parties to the Montreal Protocol, where the countries unanimously endorsed the need to support developing countries in their in their transition to ozone-friendly inhalers.

“Sustaining ODS phase-out needs strong political commitment.  Sri Lanka through such commitments has been able to achieve its phaseout targets under the Montreal Protocol.  It is also important for handling ODS and other chemical management issues under the SAICM framework to ensure optimal chemical management strategies” said Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, Sri Lankan Minister of Environment and Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Mahavali Development.

The meeting was organized by the Sri Lankan National Ozone Unit and Ministry of Environment and attended by environment and health officials and industry representatives.

For more information, call: Ms. Satwant Kaur, UNEP Regional Information Officer, Tel: + (66 2) 288 2127; E-mail: kaur@un.org

Note to Editors

For more information about the recovery of the ozone layer, see the Executive Summary of “UNEP/WMO Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2006” and UNEP’s press release at http://ozone.unep.org/Publications/Assessment_Reports/

The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. The treaty was opened for signature on September 16, 1987 and entered into force on January 1, 1989. Since then, it has undergone five revisions, in 1990 (London), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), and 1999 (Beijing). Due to its widespread adoption and implementation it has been hailed as an example of exceptional international cooperation with Kofi Annan quoted as saying it is "Perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date...”

Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) for Asia and the Pacific
In 2002, UNEP as an Implementing Agency of the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol made a conscious departure from the past in assisting developing countries to enable them to implement the Montreal Protocol. This departure emerges from the new context in which developing countries now operate under the compliance regime of the Protocol. The new context of compliance regime requires countries to: achieve and sustain compliance, promote a greater sense of country ownership and implement the agreed Executive Committee framework for strategic planning.

Asthma and COPD

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the most common chronic diseases of the air passages (airways or bronchi) of the lung.  It is estimated that this disease affects over 300 million people worldwide. COPD is a narrowing and inflammation of the airways resulting from damage to the lung tissue (emphysema). It is caused primarily by cigarette smoking, but may result in part, from inhalation of certain occupational dusts or environmental air pollution.   The prevalence of COPD in many developed countries is around 4-17 percent in the adult population aged over 40 years. Data are less certain in developing countries but it is estimated to be as high as 26 percent. An international study of asthma in childhood has shown a prevalence of asthma that varies from approximately 1 percent in some countries such as Indonesia to over 30 percent in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia

Through extensive research, ozone friendly propellants, such as HFC-134a and HFC-227ea (in the pharmaceutical sub-sector, HFC is referred to as HFA) that could replace CFCs have been discovered for use by MDI manufacturing industry. 

SAICM

Adopted by the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) on 6 February 2006 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is a policy framework for international action on chemical hazards. SAICM was developed by a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral Preparatory Committee.
The Strategic Approach supports the achievement of the goal agreed at the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development of ensuring that, by the year 2020, chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on the environment and human health.
More information on SAICM at: http://www.chem.unep.ch/saicm/

UNEP ROAP News Release 06/08