Persistent Organic Pollutants

Why should we tolerate a diet of weak poisons, a home in insipid surroundings, a circle of acquaintances who are not quite our enemies, the noise of motors with just enough relief to prevent insanity? Who would want to live in a world which is just not quite fatal? - Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Persistent Organic Pollutants
Persistent Organic Pollutants

image by: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

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The problems won’t go away: Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Arctic

While climate change and carbon have stolen the limelight in recent months, there has been little attention paid to Persistent Organic Pollutants—also known as POPs. As the name suggests, POPs are environmentally persistent, which means that they take a long time to degrade and can be transported over long distances. Due to the environmental conditions in the Arctic, they often end up “trapped” there.

Many of the chemicals classified as a POP were widely used globally in commercial products, in particular as pesticides and insecticides. The most well known pollutants include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), widely used in plastic products, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT),…

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 The problems won’t go away: Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Arctic

While climate change and carbon have stolen the limelight in recent months, there has been little attention paid to Persistent Organic Pollutants—also known as POPs. As the name suggests, POPs are environmentally persistent, which means that they take a long time to degrade and can be transported over long distances. Due to the environmental conditions in the Arctic, they often end up “trapped” there.

Stockholm Convention

Protecting human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants.

International POPs Elimination Network

IPEN with a group of international networks has launched a new campaign which aims to raise awareness about the harms of toxic chemicals, plus engage and broaden the base of civil society groups working on issues related to the implementation of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management.

Tox Town

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a group of toxic chemicals that don’t break down easily in the environment. They can be intentionally produced and used in agriculture, disease and pest control, manufacturing, or industry. They can also be unintentionally produced from some industrial processes and from waste incineration, backyard trash burning, cigarette smoke, and vehicle exhaust. POPs can travel regionally and around the world. They bioaccumulate in the fat tissue of humans and animals, biomagnify in food chains, and are persistent in the environment. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international treaty to protect human health and the environment from POPs.

EPA

Many POPs were widely used during the boom in industrial production after World War II, when thousands of synthetic chemicals were introduced into commercial use. Many of these chemicals proved beneficial in pest and disease control, crop production, and industry. These same chemicals, however, have had unforeseen effects on human health and the environment. Many people are familiar with some of the most well-known POPs, such as PCBs, DDT, and dioxins.

Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals

The key objective of the IOMC Technical Coordinating Group on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is to promote coherence among participating organizations and governments to address POPs and their obligations under the Stockholm Convention.

ScienceBuzz

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are an environmental and health threat to oceanic and land creatures as well as humans. They are man-made substances that are primarily carried through air and water currents. POPs settle in colder climates in the Arctic, such as Alaska where the temperatures reach below freezing. The contaminants rest there for long periods of time because the cold climate prevents them from breaking down. This is the main reason why POPs transfer from water to soil to plants onto animals and into humans.

WHO

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemicals of global concern due to their potential for long-range transport, persistence in the environment, ability to bio-magnify and bio-accumulate in ecosystems, as well as their significant negative effects on human health and the environment.

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