Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. Because of this, they have been observed to persist in the environment, to be capable of long-range transport, bioaccumulate in human and animal tissue, biomagnify in food chains, and to have potential significant impacts on human health and the environment. Chemical decomposition or analysis is the fragmentation of a chemical compound into elements or smaller compounds. ... Biodegradation is the decomposition of organic material by microorganisms. ... Persistence is the term used in computer science to describe a capability used by a computer programmer to store data structures in non-volatile storage such as a file system or a relational database. ... To bioaccumulate literally means to accumulate in a biological system. ... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... Biomagnification is a similar but distinct concept from bioaccumulation. ... Health can be defined negatively, as the absence of illness, functionally as the ability to cope with everyday activities, or positively, as fitness and well-being (Blaxter 1990). ...

In May 1995, the UNEP Governing Council (GC) decided to begin investigating POPs, initially beginning with a short list of the following twelve POPs: aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and toxaphene. Klaus Töpfer, UNEP Exec. ... Aldrin is an organochlorine insecticide which is oxidized in the insect to form dieldrin, a neurotoxin. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... DDT or Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane is the first modern pesticide and is arguably the best known organic pesticide. ... Dieldrin is a chlorinated hydrocarbon originally produced by Bayer AG as an insecticide. ... Endrin Endrin is a cyclodiene insecticide used on cotton, maize, and rice. ... Heptachlor Heptachlor is an insecticide of empirical formula C10H5Cl7 that usually comes in the form of a white or tan powder, the tan powder being of lower purity. ... Hexachlorobenzene(or perchlorobenzene)is a chlorinated hydrocarbon fungicide used as a seed treatment, especially on wheat. ... Mirex is a bait insecticide used against a large number of insect pests, with the chemical formula C10Cl12. ... Labelling transformers containing PCBs Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of organic compounds with 1 to 10 chlorine atoms are attached to biphenyl and a general structure of C12H10-xClx. ... Space-filling model of 2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin Structure of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) Dioxin is the popular name for the family of halogenated organic compounds, the most common consisting of polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs). ... Categories: Chemistry stubs ... Toxaphene is an organic insecticide with the approximate empirical formula C10H10Cl8 and average molecular mass of 414. ...

Since then, this list has generally been accepted to include such substances as carcinogenic PAHs and certain brominated flame-retardants, as well as some organometallic compounds such as tributyltin (TBT). An aromatic hydrocarbon (abbreviated as AH), or arene is a hydrocarbon, the molecular structure of which incorporates one or more planar sets of six carbon atoms that are connected by delocalised electrons numbering the same as if they consisted of alternating single and double covalent bonds. ... Brominated flame-retardants are produced synthetically in 70 variants with very varying chemical properties. ... An organometallic compound is partially characterized by the presence of one or more metal-carbon bonds, in which the carbon involved would, apart from the metal-carbon bond, be otherwise considered a part of an organic compound. ... Tributyltin hydride Tributyltin (TBT) is a trialkyl organotin compound. ...

The groups of compounds that make up POPs are also classed as PBTs (Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic) or even TOMPs (Toxic Organic Micro Pollutants.)

Chemical Properties

Some of their chemical characteristics include low water solubility, high lipid solubility, high molecular masses and low volatility. One important factor of their chemical properties results in the ability to accumulate in the fatty tissues of living organisms.

Long Range Transport

POPs released to the environment have been shown to travel vast distances from their original source. Due to their chemical properties, many POPs are both involatile and insoluble. These compounds are therefore unable to transport directly through the environment. The indirect routes include attachment to particulate matter, and through the food chain. Insoluble Not soluble ... Particulates, alternately referred to as Particulate Matter (PM) , aerosols or fine particles are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in the air. ... Food chains, food webs and/or food networks describe the feeding relationships between species in a biotic community. ...

Health concerns

A study by Lee et al. published in 2006 indicated a link between blood serum levels of POPs and diabetes.^[1]. Individuals with elevated levels of persistent organic pollutants (DDT, dioxins, PCBs and Chlordane, among others) in their body are 38 times more likely to have diabetes than individuals with low levels of these pollutants. Among study participants, obesity was associated with diabetes only in people who tested high for these pollutants. These pollutants are accumulated in animal fats, so minimizing consumption of animal fats may reduce the risk of diabetes^[2].

Trends

The general trend of POPs is the following:

• Synthesis/development.
• Increased use over large areas in Europe and North America.
• Concerns over their persistence, bioaccumulation, and bioconcentration.
• Restricted use.
• Reduced emissions, as well as bans and controls.

See also

• Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
• Food chain
• International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN)
• Stockholm Convention

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is a public interest, not-for-profit environmental law firm founded in 1989 to strengthen international and comparative environmental law and policy around the world. ... Tinctures are the colours used to blazon coats of arms in heraldry. ... Food chains, food webs and/or food networks describe the feeding relationships between species in a biotic community. ... The International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) is a global network of NGOs dedicated to the common aim of eliminating persistent organic pollutants. ... The International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) is a global network of NGOs dedicated to the common aim of eliminating persistent organic pollutants. ... Stockholm Convention is an international agreement on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). ...

External links

• Environmental Working Group - POPs/PBT investigation
• Greenpeace: Chemicals out of control
• Pesticide Action Network North America
• The PAN Pesticides Database
• Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is a network of over 600 NGOs worldwide
• Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) promotes healthy food, agriculture and an environment without dependence on toxic chemicals, and without harm to food producers and agricultural workers
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
• WWF: Detox Campaign
• POP monitoring in the Alpine region (Europe)

References

1. ^ D-H Lee et al A Strong Dose-Response Relation Between Serum Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Diabetes Diabetes Care 29:1638-1644, 2006
2. ^ Living on Earth: POPsible Nightmare (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-15.

• Environmental Chemistry Group Newsletter, issue no. 14, July 2001