Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Overview
- Overview
- Characteristics and Behavior of POPs
- Health Effects of POPs
- Treatment Technology Reports
- Additional Resources
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemicals that originate from man-made sources associated with production, use, and disposal of certain organic chemicals. Many of these chemicals were produced commercially for pest and disease control, crop production and industrial use. Some POPs, such as pesticides and PCBs are intentionally produced, while others such as dioxin and furans are the by-products of industrial processes or result from the combustion of organic chemicals.
Under the Stockholm Convention, countries committed to reduce or eliminate the production, use, and release of the 12 POPs of greatest concern to the global community. The POPs within the scope of the Stockholm Convention include nine pesticides and three industrial chemicals or by-products. The Stockholm Convention obligates parties to remediate POPs stockpiles but does not obligate cleanup of POPs-contaminated sites.
The nine pesticides targeted by the Stockholm Convention were produced intentionally and used on agricultural crops or for public health vector control. By the late 1970s, these pesticides had been either banned or subjected to severe use restrictions in many countries. However, some of the pesticides are still in use in parts of the world where they are considered essential for protecting public health.
| POPs Identified by the Stockholm Convention |
| Pesticides |
| Aldrin Chlordane Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) Dieldrin Endrin Heptachlor Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) Mirex Toxaphene |
| Industrial Chemicals or By-Products |
| Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) Dioxins Furans |
The three industrial chemicals and by-products within the scope of the Stockholm Convention are PCBs, dioxins, and furans. PCBs were produced intentionally but are typically released into the environment unintentionally. The most significant use of PCBs was as a dielectric fluid (a fluid which can sustain a steady electrical field and act as an electrical insulator) in transformers and other electrical and hydraulic equipment. Most countries stopped producing PCBs in the 1980s.
Dioxins and furans are usually produced and released unintentionally. They may be generated by industrial processes or by combustion, including fuel burning in vehicles, municipal and medical waste incineration, open burning of trash, and forest fires.
