Don’t poison the sea: Ministry of Natural Resources wants to remove 40 toxic chemicals from federal law

It seems to me there is some kind of “race” to destroy nature — who can tear apart the last untouched corners of the wild faster and on a larger scale. A bill on killing Red Book animals, massive clearcuts of protective forests, total logging on Lake Baikal, and many other truly dangerous initiatives.

In fact, it’s beyond comprehension: we still have some last wild places left, we face global problems related to ecosystem destruction worldwide, and you’d think people should unite to stop this madness. But no — instead, there’s even more “development” of natural territories. All for profit! All for money.

NEW THREAT

We had just finished the public discussion stage of the bill on clearcutting when, on the very same day (March 21), a new legislative initiative appeared, creating a real threat to the wild.

The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation is trying to adopt Bill No. 155702. Let me explain what’s going on!

Since the year 2000, our country has had a government decree that prohibited the discharge of dangerous pesticides and various substances into the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation. That decree included 73 items — substances that in no case should be released into the environment, as they destroy and kill ecosystems.

Many readers don’t know what an EEZ (exclusive economic zone) is, so let’s clarify a bit. This is a marine area adjacent to a state’s territorial waters, within which the state has special rights and jurisdiction! Essentially, these are the waters where we can extract natural resources — drill for oil, conduct industrial fishing, and so on.

Typically, under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a state may establish its economic zone up to 370 km (200 miles) from its coastline. And within this zone, the authorities can develop any natural resources.

And so we currently have Government Decree of the Russian Federation dated March 24, 2000 No. 251, which bans the discharge of 73 hazardous substances into the marine area!

Now, the Ministry of Natural Resources is trying to pass a new bill No. 155702, which will replace the old decree. In the new version, the list of hazardous substances is reduced to 31 items, meaning more than 40 previously banned toxicants (for example, aniline, chlorobenzene, dibutyl phthalate, etc.) disappear from the list.

So that every reader clearly understands, let me explain: this bill weakens the direct ban on discharging a number of dangerous pesticides into the marine area.

Let’s now take a detailed look at the bill! This is very important — please read to the end and share. It’s necessary for as many people as possible to grasp the essence of the problem, since in official documents everything is written in such a way that ordinary citizens can’t figure out anything.

ANALYSIS OF THE BILL

Exactly 25 years have passed since the adoption of the Government Decree of the Russian Federation banning the discharge of hazardous substances into the marine area. And now the officials want to reduce that list — it’s done in the interests of big business, which is “hampered” by legislative restrictions on extracting natural resources. Basically: there’s a lot of oil out there, it needs to be extracted to make a profit! But everyone understands that while it’s being extracted, there will be numerous leaks of toxic substances.

How to bypass this? Exactly — ask “your” officials to remove the restrictions. After that, polluting ecosystems can be done almost with impunity!

The 2000 decree is titled: “On approving the list of harmful substances whose discharge into the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation from ships, other floating craft, aircraft, artificial islands, installations, and structures is prohibited.”

In other words, it specifically concerns the discharge of dangerous substances from ships, aircraft, and so on. The document includes six points, where:

1. Discharge of plastics (synthetic ropes, nets, bags, etc.) is prohibited.
2. Discharge of garbage (as defined by Annex V of MARPOL), aside from food waste and fish leftovers, is prohibited.
3. Discharge of ammunition, explosives, biological and chemical weapons is prohibited.
4. Substances of unknown chemical composition, if no maximum permissible concentrations are established for them, are prohibited.
5. A large list of 73 items (Category A chemicals under MARPOL).
6. Ballast and washing water containing substances from point 5.

We’re particularly interested in the expanded list of substances. It contains the following especially dangerous compounds:

• Aniline (p. 10): “n-Butyl acrylate (2348), as well as aniline (1547).”
• Chlorobenzene (p. 19): “(1134)*” — a highly toxic chlorinated organic compound.
• Chlorotoluenes (p. 22): “mixed isomers (2238)*.”
• Dibutyl phthalate (p. 29).
• Anti-knock additives (p. 54, “(1649)*”).
• Cresols, naphthalene, methylnaphthalene, aromatic compounds (butylbenzenes, tri- and diethylbenzenes, vinyltoluene).
• Heavy metals: cadmium, mercury, lead.
• Persistent organic pollutants: DDT (and derivatives), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins.
• Various alkylphenols, phosphorus-containing substances, etc.

You could write entire articles analyzing each point because they are all extremely dangerous for nature. Their discharge leads to the destruction of all living things!

Accordingly, in the currently still valid decree, these substances are completely prohibited from being discharged. And the government has been extremely strict in preventing any attempts to violate the law!

Now — officials, in the interest of business, propose a new decree No. 155702. They want to adopt it as soon as possible, by fall 2025.

The draft law itself retains the same six points that were in the previous decree: plastics, garbage, ammunition, substances with unknown composition, the list of substances, and ballast water.

BUT!

The content of the points is significantly reduced. The list of chemicals is cut down to 31 items. Officials removed from it such dangerous substances as aniline, chlorobenzene, chlorotoluenes, anti-knock additives, butyl acrylate, dodecylphenol, methylnaphthalene, vinyltoluene, dibutyl phthalate, as well as a number of alkylbenzenes, trimethylbenzenes, diphenyl ethers, cresols, and others.

For the average citizen, such complicated names don’t mean much, so I’ll explain a few items:

• Aniline — an organic compound used in the production of dyes, pharmaceuticals, and rubber products. When discharged into the marine area, it has a highly toxic effect on marine biota, affecting the nervous system and metabolism of fish and invertebrates. Mutagenic and carcinogenic effects have been observed. Discharging aniline without treatment leads to localized poisoning of aquatic organisms and bottom sediments.

  
  

• Chlorobenzene — used as a solvent and in the production of dyes and pesticides; exhibits carcinogenic and toxic effects on aquatic organisms. It degrades poorly, leading to bioaccumulation. Once in fish, it can cause endocrine system disruption and reduce reproductive potential.

  
  
• Chlorotoluenes — derivatives used in dye synthesis, pharmaceuticals, and specialized chemicals. Highly toxic and persistent in the environment, they can negatively affect the liver and kidneys of aquatic animals; when they accumulate in bottom sediments, they cause long-term pollution of the ecosystem.

There’s no point in listing further, as they are all extremely dangerous to marine ecosystems and literally kill everything alive.

Moreover, they circulate in the water for a very long time, accumulate in bottom sediments, penetrate all food chains, causing chronic diseases in organisms at higher trophic levels, up to humans. Meaning, you then eat fish from that sea and end up with serious health issues.

Now the most interesting part about the bill. The authors believe that some substances “are duplicated by other acts” or “are insignificant for modern shipping”!

But the dangerous compounds removed from the list (for example, the same aniline, chlorobenzene, chloroparaffins) are very common in the chemical industry and have proven toxicity to aquatic ecosystems. Their exclusion from the list inevitably leads to the creation of a legal vacuum: if there’s no separate explicit ban in other federal acts, the discharge of these substances won’t be explicitly prohibited.

This also creates serious problems for environmental oversight — specialists will have to rely each time on general regulations on ecosystem pollution and look for “bylaws,” instead of simply referring to a direct law.

I perfectly understand why this is happening! Essentially, the main federal act is removed (replaced by a softening measure), and all other acts and bylaws will be adopted by officials “on the ground.” That creates corruption schemes, making it easier for businesses to “negotiate.”

Basically the same as with the bill on destroying protective forests in mountainous ecosystems: the main thing is to push changes in the federal law so you can manipulate all you want with the bylaws afterward! That’s all.

OUR ACTIONS

We are categorically opposed to the adoption of this bill. Public discussions have already begun. We need help from everyone: please take a few minutes of your time.

1. Study the text of the bill to understand what it’s about.

   
   

   Examine the Bill 

   
   

   File Old Decree No. 251 49 KB

    

   File Text of the New Bill 49 KB

   
   

2. Go to the bill’s page, click “dislike” at the top, and also submit feedback explaining why you are against it and demanding that it be rejected.

   
   

   

   

   
   
3. Share the link to this material on social media.

ATTENTION: I ask all allies who have free time to monitor the bill. Keep track of any unusual spikes in likes, because the previous clearcutting bill experienced “vote manipulation” by officials on the last day of discussion.

If you notice any such actions, take screenshots with the date and time! Send them to us by email, and we will respond immediately.

Meanwhile, we’ll get in touch with our allies in the Government and find out what’s happening there. We’ll try to influence the bill! In the coming days, we will also launch a public initiative calling for rejection of the bill, and there will be additional instructions for all our allies.

We oppose the discharge of poisonous substances into marine ecosystems! And any weakening of federal laws is completely out of place.

© PAVEL PASHKOV