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toxicsfree.bsky.social
IPEN: toxics-free
@toxicsfree.bsky.social
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We are a global network of 600+ public interest orgs in 129 countries working to eliminate toxic substances and places #PlasticsTreaty
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toxicsfree.bsky.social
IPEN members from around the world will participate in the seventh session of the U.N. Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 8 to 12 December 2025. The theme of the session is "Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet.”

Learn more here: ipen.org/news/seventh...
A large group of people from IPEN stand outdoors in front of a small domed pavilion, posing together and holding a long white banner with the blue IPEN logo and the tagline “for a toxics-free future.” The group is bundled in winter or cool-weather clothing, and the background shows tall evergreen trees and late-autumn foliage under bright, clear daylight.
November 25, 2025 at 11:44 PM
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A recent IPEN study reveals alarming mercury levels among Indigenous women in Peru and Nicaragua in communities living near small-scale gold mining areas and relying on fish for food.

Read and download here: ipen.org/news/mercury...
A report cover featuring a large photo of a wooden gold-mining dredge on a river with dense forest in the background. Below, a blue title bar reads: “Mercury Exposure of Women in Two Latin American Gold Mining Countries: Elevated mercury levels found among women where mercury is used in gold mining and contaminates the food chain.” Two smaller images underneath show a riverside community with thatched huts and a researcher placing a sample into a plastic bag. The cover notes “October 2025” and includes the IPEN logo at the bottom.
November 24, 2025 at 2:23 AM
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A study published by the ESDO and IPEN last year, researchers found high levels of PFAS chemicals in surface and tap water samples near textile industry areas in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Download the report here: ipen.org/documents/pe...
A report cover titled “Persistent Threat: PFAS in Textiles and Water in Bangladesh” (May 2024). The top half shows a magnifying glass focusing on a map of Bangladesh near Dhaka, alongside an arm wearing a blue glove. The bottom image shows a gloved hand collecting a water sample in a clear glass container, creating reflections on the water’s surface. Logos for ESDO and IPEN appear at the bottom.
November 18, 2025 at 2:44 AM
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IPEN and our global members have produced original scientific research, country-based data, and policy proposals to address the health and environmental threats from plastics.

We’ve produced more than 135 publications in more than 85 countries, visualized in this map: ipen-plastic-map.vercel.app
November 15, 2025 at 3:21 PM
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ICYMI – IPEN Participating Organizations (POs) from around the world led events in their countries for the 2025 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) in October.

Scroll through this list and learn more about the organizations and projects that took place: ipen.org/projects/int...
A graphic with a blue background and the IPEN logo reads, “Learn about what IPEN Participating Organizations did for International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2025.” Below the text, an image shows two people painting a bright yellow walkway with a large blue symbol, using brushes and an open can of paint. The scene appears to be outdoors, with the painters wearing blue shirts and working on a concrete surface.
November 13, 2025 at 6:55 PM
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While #COP6 delegates agreed to phase out mercury in dental fillings, they failed to act on the biggest source of mercury pollution—small-scale gold mining.

Read IPEN’s full response and our call to end mercury use in gold mining: ipen.org/news/mercury...
Graphic from IPEN highlighting a statement about the Minamata Convention on Mercury COP6. The image shows delegates in a conference hall holding “No More Mercury” reports. The text reads: “Read: Mercury Treaty Fails to Address the Gold Mining Crisis,” followed by a quote from IPEN Technical and Policy Advisor Lee Bell criticizing the lack of action on mercury pollution in the Amazon and urging decisive action at COP-7 to end mercury trade and artisanal and small-scale gold mining.
November 10, 2025 at 5:57 PM
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Read our report from the Minamata Convention on Mercury COP6: ipen.org/news/mercury...

The ban on mercury in dental fillings is a positive step, but small-scale gold mining will remain the largest global contributor to mercury pollution without urgent action.

#MercuryTreaty #MinamataCOP6
Graphic promoting an IPEN report from the Minamata Convention on Mercury COP6. The image shows a river scene with a wooden gold mining structure and several people working along the shore, surrounded by dense forest. Text above reads: “Read our report from the Minamata Convention on Mercury COP6: Mercury Treaty Fails to Address the Gold Mining Crisis,” alongside the IPEN logo and tagline “for a toxics-free future.”
November 7, 2025 at 4:41 PM
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A hidden source of mercury pollution: the oil and gas industry.

IPEN’s new briefing exposes how this fuels global mercury contamination and urges urgent action to stop it.

📘 Read more: ipen.org/documents/me...

#Mercury #FossilFuels #ASGM #ToxicsFreeFuture
Graphic promoting IPEN’s briefing titled “Mercury Pollution from Oil and Gas.” The design features a red background with the IPEN logo at the top and bold white text that reads: “Download IPEN’s Briefing, ‘Mercury Pollution from Oil and Gas.’” Below, an image of a tablet displays the briefing’s first page, which discusses mercury emissions from fossil fuel extraction and includes a map illustrating affected regions.
November 7, 2025 at 9:58 AM
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The Minamata Convention must be strengthened to end the world’s mercury crisis.
IPEN’s brief outlines two amendments needed to protect health and the environment:
• End the global mercury trade
• Phase out mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) by 2032
ipen.org/documents/en...
Graphic promoting IPEN’s briefing titled “Ending Mercury Pollution: The Need to Strengthen the Mercury Treaty.” The design features a green background with the IPEN logo and a tablet displaying the document. White bold text encourages readers to download the briefing, which discusses the need to end the global mercury trade and phase out mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM).
November 6, 2025 at 2:38 PM
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A new IPEN study reveals alarming mercury levels among Indigenous women in Peru and Nicaragua in communities living near small-scale gold mining areas and relying on fish for food.
ipen.org/documents/me...
Mercury pollution from gold mining is a human rights and public health crisis.
November 5, 2025 at 11:06 PM
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Most mercury being traded today ends up in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. This contaminates rivers, fish, and communities worldwide. It’s time to end this toxic trade once and for all.

Download IPEN’s Quick Views on the Mercury Treaty COP-6: ipen.org/documents/qu...
Graphic promoting IPEN’s “Quick Views on the Minamata Convention on Mercury – Sixth Conference of the Parties.” The design features a tablet displaying the Quick Views document and text encouraging users to download it. The message reads: “Download: Quick Views Mercury Treaty COP6. Learn how governments can act now to stop mercury trafficking and close loopholes in global trade rules,” alongside the IPEN logo and a blue background.
November 5, 2025 at 10:10 AM
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A Minamata Convention COP-6 Knowledge Lab is happening today, Tue, Nov. 4, from 18:00-18:45 CET.

Health, Human Rights and Mercury Impacts of ASGM: Prioritising health interventions
For those in Geneva it is in CICG, Room 3.
It will also be online.
www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/events/healt...
Promotional graphic for an informal meeting at COP6 of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The event, titled “Health, Human Rights and Mercury Impacts of ASGM: Prioritising Health Interventions,” is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2025, from 18:00–18:45 CET at Room 3, Level -1, CICG. The design features logos of the UN Human Rights Office, IPEN, and the Minamata Convention, with a photo of a woman holding a child inside a wooden home and a bright yellow and white color scheme. Informational flyer for a COP6 Minamata Convention meeting co-organized by IPEN, OHCHR, the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights, and Mexico. The text explains that the event will address gaps in implementing Article 16 of the Minamata Convention, focusing on the human rights and health of vulnerable groups, including women, children, and Indigenous Peoples. It lists speakers such as Dr. Marcos Orellana, Mrs. Miriam Gabriela Medel García, Mr. Lucas Infantozzi Albertoni, Dr. Rüdiger Krech, Ms. Rochelle Diver, Ms. Yuyun Ismawati, and Ms. Ana Paula de Souza, who will moderate the session.
November 4, 2025 at 11:18 AM
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Mercury is used by miners in small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in a process called amalgamation. The ASGM sector is the primary source of mercury contamination globally, impacting millions of lives.

IPEN POs developed ASGM reports on the situation in their countries: ipen.org/documents/me...
Graphic promoting IPEN’s ASGM (artisanal and small-scale gold mining) reports. The top section has a red background with the IPEN logo and white text that reads, “Read ASGM reports from work happening in Bolivia, Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Uganda.” The bottom image shows a close-up of water flowing down a sluice with a pan containing silvery material, a plastic bottle nearby, and a person’s bare feet at the edge.
November 3, 2025 at 9:30 PM
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IPEN warns that the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) continues to be the leading global source of mercury pollution.

Read our briefing about the global mercury trade: ipen.org/documents/gl...
The cover page shows a report titled “The Global Mercury Trade,” published in October 2025. The design features a blue and white layout with charts referencing Chatham House data sources and mentions that mercury trade increased from 1,200 tonnes in 2017 to 1,700 tonnes in 2022. The page includes the IPEN logo and references to figures illustrating legally traded mercury quantities by year.
November 2, 2025 at 4:40 PM
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As this latest IPEN study exposes, Indigenous women in Peru and Nicaragua that live where small-scale gold mining takes place have high levels of mercury in their bodies.

Download the report here: ipen.org/documents/me...
The cover image shows a river in a forested area with people working near the shore and a wooden gold mining structure in the water. Below, smaller images show thatched huts along a tropical riverbank and a person wearing gloves placing a sample into a plastic bag. The title reads “Mercury Exposure of Women in Two Latin American Gold Mining Countries,” with a subheading about elevated mercury levels, the IPEN logo, and the publication date, October 2025.
November 1, 2025 at 6:19 PM
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IPEN and its participating organizations (POs) worldwide joined forces with local and global partners for the 2025 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) from October 19-25.

Read about what the organizations did around the world for ILPPW: ipen.org/projects/int...
The image combines a green background featuring the IPEN logo and text with an abstract splash of vivid red, yellow, and green paint on the right. The text reads: “Read about what IPEN Participating Organizations did for International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2025.” It visually connects IPEN’s campaign messaging with the creative, colorful imagery of paint to highlight advocacy around eliminating lead exposure.
November 1, 2025 at 2:18 AM
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The Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury takes place Nov 3–7 in Geneva.

IPEN’s Quick Views outline key decisions and call for bold action to end global mercury trade and phase out ASGM by 2032.

Read and download: ipen.org/documents/qu...
A red background with diagonal blue lines frames the text: “Download Quick Views – Mercury Treaty COP6.” Below, a tablet screen displays a document titled “Quick Views on the Minamata Convention on Mercury Sixth Conference of the Parties,” with the IPEN logo in the header. Another IPEN logo and the tagline “for a toxics-free future” appear in the bottom right corner.
October 31, 2025 at 12:38 AM
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Environmental Health News shares that new research in the Journal of Chromatography A shows recycling increases toxic chemical levels in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), commonly used for food packaging: www.ehn.org/test-recycli...
October 27, 2025 at 2:57 PM
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Invest in our children’s health. Demand governments’ and industries’ commitment to eliminating lead in all paints.

Their future is worth it.

#BanLeadPaint
#ILPPW2025
#LeadSafePaint
#NoSafeLeadLevel
#ToxicsFree
A child’s hand dips a paintbrush into a cup of blue paint beside colorful brushes and paint containers on a white table. Text on the left reads: “Invest in our children’s health and future. Mobilize resources and get governments and industries to commit to the global elimination of lead in all paints.” The image features the IPEN logo and the hashtag #BanLeadPaint.
October 26, 2025 at 7:44 PM
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Hazardous chemicals belong nowhere near children or homes.

The Rotterdam Convention ensures safe decisions and keeps toxic imports in check. 🛡️

#BanLeadPaint
#ILPPW2025
#LeadSafePaint
#NoSafeLeadLevel
#ToxicsFree
An image shows open paint cans filled with bright red, yellow, and orange paint alongside stacked shipping containers. Text on the left reads: “Hazardous chemicals like lead chromates should never be sent across borders without the knowledge of the recipients. The Rotterdam Convention provides countries with information they need to decide about imports of toxic chemicals, which pose significant health hazards to children, adults, and industry workers in their countries.” The IPEN logo and #BanLeadPaint hashtag appear at the top and bottom.
October 26, 2025 at 2:59 PM
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Global trade of lead chromates and lead paints continues. Stronger international controls can curb it.

Countries with lead paint laws can report to the Rotterdam Convention to stop hazardous exports. 🌐

#BanLeadPaint
#ILPPW2025
#LeadSafePaint
#NoSafeLeadLevel
#ToxicsFree
A close-up of bold, colorful paint streaks in green, yellow, orange, and blue covers the left side of the image. Text on the right reads: “The continuous global trade of lead chromates and lead paints can be mitigated if there are stricter international controls in place to curb them. Countries that have adopted lead paint laws can submit lead chromate notifications to the Rotterdam Convention, which will subject lead chromates and lead paints under the treaty’s Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure.” The IPEN logo and #BanLeadPaint hashtag appear at the top and bottom.
October 25, 2025 at 2:32 PM
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Many countries still lack legal restrictions on lead paint. We need laws with strong penalties to stop the manufacture and sale of toxic paints. 🏛️

Act now for safer communities!

#BanLeadPaint
#ILPPW2025
#LeadSafePaint
#NoSafeLeadLevel
#ToxicsFree
A close-up image shows a cluster of brightly painted miniature houses in red, yellow, blue, pink, and green tones. Text on the left reads: “Many countries still lack legal restrictions on lead in paint with penalties for non-compliance. Take steps now to enact and enforce lead paint laws to end the manufacture and sale of lead paints.” The IPEN logo and the hashtag #BanLeadPaint appear at the bottom.
October 25, 2025 at 5:15 AM
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The fossil fuels/petrochemical /plastic industry complex are allied against a meaningful Plastics Treaty, and in New York, they are lobbying to stop legislation that would reduce plastic packaging and pollution.
View the report released by @beyondplastics.bsky.social: bit.ly/prria-lobbying
October 24, 2025 at 6:54 PM
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Lead is toxic to humans and harmful to the environment.

Eliminating lead from all paints is not just good practice, it is good public policy. 🌱

#BanLeadPaint
#ILPPW2025
#LeadSafePaint
#NoSafeLeadLevel
#ToxicsFree
A hand holds a paintbrush coated in bright yellow paint against a background splashed with vivid blue, orange, and pink colors. Text on the right reads: “Lead is toxic to humans and harmful to the environment. It is good public policy to eliminate all sources of lead exposure.” The image includes the IPEN logo and the hashtag #BanLeadPaint.
October 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
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Choose #LeadSafePaint! ✅

Support paint brands that have stopped adding lead to their products and safeguard children’s health.

Every brushstroke can make a difference.

#BanLeadPaint
#ILPPW2025
#LeadSafePaint
#NoSafeLeadLevel
#ToxicsFree
A person paints yellow stripes on a surface using a roller and a yellow can of latex paint labeled “Lead Safe.” Text on the left reads: “Choose #LeadSafePaint! Patronize paint brands from manufacturers who have already stopped adding lead to their paints.” The image includes colorful paint streaks, the IPEN logo, and the hashtag #BanLeadPaint.
October 23, 2025 at 6:38 AM