Worldwide concern about the transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous wastes was first heightened in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The major concern was wastes being exported from industrialized nations for cheap disposal in inadequately prepared sites in developing countries.
This concern led to an urgency in developing and implementing international controls. It culminated in the landmark global convention under the United Nations to control the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal, commonly called the Basel Convention. Canada participated in the development of the Convention and was one of the original signatories on March 22, 1989. As of March 2009, 172 countries and including the European Union are parties to the Convention.