Thanks and regards. Manny C. Calonzo.

20 July 2004

Action Alert: Stop Burning of Scrap Tires in Cement Kilns in the Mexico/US Border

Dear GP Volunteers in the Philippines,

Concerned citizens from Mexico and United States are seeking global support to dissuade the Mexican government from moving forward with a project to "solve" the problem of the sites with millions of scrap tires abandoned in the border with US by burning them in cement kilns in the North of Mexico.

The Mexican Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat (Semarnat) has announced that under frame of an agreement set with the Mexican National Cement Chamber the collection of millions of tires abandoned in the border
with the US will take place with their latter burning in cement kilns in the border area.

Groups in Mexico and US are deeply concerned about the health and environmental impacts this project will cause, and are requesting your support to urge Mexican government to:

1. Stop the burning of scrap tires in cement kilns in the border area;
2. Cancel the agreement set between Semarnat and the Mexican National Cement Chamber to burn tires and hazardous waste in cement kilns;
3. Promote Clean Production within the cement industry;
4. Take Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) measures to hold tire manufacturers responsible for their products during their entire life-cycle, even after they are discarded;
5. Classify scrap tires as "waste subject to control" in the law - for their import to be banned- and include citizens´participation and consultancy.

1. Please endorse the following letter directed to the Mexico President, Vicente Fox, with the abovementioned demands. Please note that this letter will also be sent to Semarnat, and to the Environment and Border Affairs Commissions of the Mexican Senate and Chamber of Deputies.

Please send endorsements to Cecilia Allen cecilia@no-burn.org or to the GAIA
Secretariat before July 26.

2. Also, we encourage you to send letters to the following,to express your concern on this project:

- Eng. Alberto Cárdenas Jimenez, Secretary of Semarnat:
secretario@semarnat.gob.mx

- Vicente Fox Quesada, Mexico President:
FAX (52) 55-55 22 34 26
Phone to confirm the FAX was received: (52)55 59 99 28
00 ext. 4521 and 4523

3. You may also contact the following major tire manufacturers and tell them it is their business responsibility to ensure safe end of life management of their products, consistent with EPR principles:

- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
* United States:
1144 E. Market St.
Akron, OH, 44316-0001 US
Phone: 330-796-2121 FAX: 330-796-2222
http://www.goodyear.com/email/faq.html
*Mexico:
http://www.goodyear.com.mx/email/contactus.html

- Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc.
* United States:
535 Marriott Dr.
Nashville TN 37214 United States
Phone: 615-937-1000 FAX: 615-937-3621
firestone_consumer_affairs@faneuil.com
*Mexico
Darwin 74 Col. Anzures, 11590
Mexico D.F. México
epintado@bfmx.com.mx

-Euzkadi
Cia Hulera, Lago Xochimilco 364, Anahuac, 11320 Mexico
DF, Mexico
Phone: +52 (55) 5545 6540; Fax: (55) 5203 8184
http:www.euzkadi.com.mx

We appreciate your continuous solidarity.

Regards,

Cecilia Allen
GAIA
Spanish information contact
cecilia@no-burn.org

María Teresa Guerrero
Comisión de Solidaridad y Defensa de los Humanos A.C.
(Commission for Human Rights Defense and Solidarity
A.C.) Chihuahua, Mexico
kwira@terra.com.mx

Cyrus Reed
Texas Center for Policy Studies, United States
cr@texascenter.org

Jose Rene Cordova Rascon
Coordinator of Red Fronteriza de Salud y Ambiente, A.C.
(Health and Environment Border Network, A.C.)
Member of the National Consultant Council for Sustainable
Development. Hermosillo, Sonora. Mexico.
lared@rt.uson.mx

Marisa Jacott,
Fronteras Comunes (Common Borders) Mexico
mjacott@laneta.apc.org

Fernando Bejarano G.
International Persistent Organic Pollutants Elimination
Network (IPEN) focus point in Mexico, and member of
RAPAM-RAPAL
rapam@prodigy.net.mx

Letter:

His Excellency Vicente Fox Quesada
President of Mexico

Dear Mr. President,

The undersigned groups and individuals express deep concern over the announcement made by the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat (Semarnat), on the decision to "solve" the problem of the sites with millions of scrap tires abandoned along the border with United States
by burning them in cement plants in the North of Mexico.

This project is unpopular among environmental and civil right groups from both sides of the border, since it will pose extremely dangerous risks to the environment and public health, due to the emission of toxic substances.

Cement kilns burning tires are a major source of dioxins together with medical waste and municipal solid waste incinerators. Cement kilns burning tires have shown to produce greater emissions of dioxins, mercury, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals such as lead, zinc,
nickel and vanadium, than cement plants using coal or gas for fuel. These pollutants have been found to cause cancer, birth defects, diabetes, adversely affect the human hormonal, immune and central nervous systems, produce lung and kidney problems, among other health disorders.

It is worth noting that these pollutants will not only be released through air emissions, but they are also expected to be present in kiln dust and even in the cement produced in these plants.

As you know, on May 2001, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) was signed under framework of the United Nations. The Stockholm Convention sets the goal of continuing minimization and,
where feasible, ultimate elimination of dioxins and furans releases to the environment. Burning tires in cement kilns will not contribute towards reduction but will increase the environmental release of dioxins and furans, moving Mexico away from its international commitment. Mexico has ratified
the Stockholm Convention, and we understand the government should be acting according to this commitment.

Burning of tires is a polluting practice, and it is also a waste of energy. According to the USEPA "it takes only 7 gallons of oil to retread a used tire compared to 22 gallons to produce a new tire."1

There is a wide variety of successful uses and recycling of scrap tires. The most important among them are: scrap tires re-tread, gymnasium flooring and matting, asphalt, railroad ties, parts on autos, traffic delineators, highway edge drains, fenders for marine applications, turf and training tracks and more. These options are being implemented in many countries, with excellent results. In this sense, one successful experience is the recycling program undertaken by the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. They recycle all of the tires annually discarded with a cryogenic system; no tires are disposed of in landfills, incinerators or cement kilns.

There is the precedent in the Permanent Commission of the Senate of the Republic exhort to the Semarnat and Economy Secretariat officials, set on 20 August 2003, that aims at initiating actions to eliminate the entrance of used tires to Mexico, and where they point out that "The export of used
tires is a way by which other countries transfer an environmental and public health problem to Mexico, may it be enough pointing out that the neighbor country produces 280 million used tires annually and partially solves its
environmental problem by sending many millions of these tires to the Mexican territory."2

For these reasons, we request you to:

1. Stop the burning of used tires in cement kilns in the border region;

2. Cancel the agreement set between Semarnat and the National Cement Chamber in 1996 (ratified in 2001) to burn tires and hazardous waste in cement kilns;

3. Promote Clean Production within the cement industry;

4. Take Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) measures to hold tire manufacturers responsible for their products during their entire life-cycle. Consistent with EPR principles, manufacturers must assume physical and/or financial responsibility for scrap tires. Therefore, we urge to prompt
them to find safer alternative uses for scrap tires, and don´t let cost of managing scrap tires be covered by citizens.

5. Again classify tires as "waste subject to control" in the competent law and regulation ?for their import to be banned- and include citizens participation and consultancy.

We hope you understand the risks posed by burning tires in cement kilns, and guarantee that communities will not have to pay for the treatment of these tires with their money or their health.

Sincerely yours,

Signed By:

(Complete Name, Position in the Organization, Name of the
Organization, Country, E-Mail)

ccp Eng. Alberto Cárdenas Jimenez, Secretary of Semarnat.
ccp. Lic. Francisco Giner de los Ríos. Subdirector of
Environmental Protection Management. Semarnat.
c.c.p. Daniel Chacón Anaya. General Director of the
Hazardous Materials and Activities Integral Management
c.c.p. Environment and Border Affairs Commissions of the
Mexican Senate and Chamber of Deputies.