A/HRC/33/41 economic costs. 31 Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in food and cosmetics and from other sources are estimated to burden the European Union with over €100 billion in economic costs per year, and there is inadequate information to estimate the costs externalized on developing countries.32 Hazardous pesticides are estimated to cost sub-Saharan Africa more than the official development assistance it receives per year.33 14. The problem is increasingly criminal in nature. The illegal disposal of waste across borders is an ongoing problem. 34 The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) notes that between 60 and 90 per cent of electronic waste is disposed of illegally. 35 The illegal use of banned pesticides and toxic chemicals, as well as of counterfeit products, continues to be a major problem globally, a serious threat to children of the workers affected, to communities and to consumers. Recent estimates show that the global market for illegal pesticides may have doubled between 2007 and 2011. 36 And yet, human rights defenders seeking to protect children from further exposure to toxics are harassed, imprisoned or even killed. 37 15. Tens of millions of children are engaged in hazardous work, where they are often exposed to toxic chemicals.38 For example, children around the world continue to work in artisanal and small-scale mines, where they are exposed to mercury and other toxic chemicals. 39 The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has estimated that 40,000 children toil in mines, extracting a known carcinogen (cobalt) to be used in cell phones, laptop computers and cars by companies that undoubtedly have resources for human rights due diligence. 40 Children working in agriculture continue to use hazardous pesticides despite the bans on such products in several countries, raising questions of double standards and discrimination. 16. Toxic remnants of war inflict pain and suffering on communities long after the conflicts have concluded. In Iraq, independent studies suggest that birth defects have increased dramatically among children in conflict areas, who in many cases do not have access to medical care and treatment. 41 Unexploded munitions, landmines, chemical weapons, pesticides, and other hazardous remnants of war and conflict persist worldwide.42 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 6 Teresa Attina and Leonardo Trasande, “Economic costs of childhood lead exposure in low- and middle-income countries”, Environmental Health Perspectives, Children’s Health, vol. 121, issue 9. Leonardo Trasande and others, “Estimating burden and disease costs of exposure to endocrinedisrupting chemicals in the European Union”, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 100, No. 4. UNEP, Global Chemicals Outlook. UNEP, Waste Crimes – Waste Risks: Gaps in Meeting the Global Waste Challenge (2015). Ibid. p.7; and INTERPOL, Countering WEEE Illegal Trade Summary Report (2015). From 5-7 per cent to 10 per cent, according to OECD estimates; see also the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute report entitled “Illicit pesticides, organized crime and supply chain integrity”, p. 11. Submission from International Service for Human Rights; and Global Witness, On Dangerous Ground (2016). Submissions from Italy and Peru; and International Labour Organization (ILO), Children in Hazardous Work: What We Know, What We Need To Do (2011). Submission from Human Rights Watch. Amnesty International, “This is what we die for” (2016). Submission from PAX and the Center for Constitutional Rights; and UNEP and Environmental Law Institute report entitled “Assessing and restoring natural resources in post-conflict peacebuilding” (2013). Submission from Colombia.