Stockholm Convention listed chemicals

The Stockholm Convention on POPs lists 22 priority chemical substances that pose potential risks of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. Since the convention was enacted in 2004, evidence for the toxic effects of POPs such as DDT, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), PCBs, PCDD/Fs and other halogenated compounds has been demonstrated for both humans and wildlife. 

How to consider the addition of New Substances to the list of POPs Chemicals under the Stockholm Convention and a case study (RODAN Bruce, USA, WONG Minghung, China)... 

The environmental survey and/or monitoring data on the chemicals relevant to the live substances that were proposed for listing in Annex A of Stockholm Convention and considered at the first meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) held in November 2005, are pentabromodiphenyl ether (PeBDE), chlordecone,... 

We are working with the Food Quality Control Department of the Ministry of Health to study the contamination of OCPs and PCBs in local fish and chickens. This project is in line with our current effort to assess the health risk arising from consumption of food contaminated with POP chemicals. The health risk assessment of POPs through dietary intakes project involved analyses of OCPs and PCBs in various foodstuff, initially raw materials which will be extended to cooked food. Unfortunately, we do not currently have the capability to analyze PCDD/PCDF in our laboratory but there are two high resolution mass spectrometers in the country that are capable of analyzing PCDD/PCDF. National and international collaborations will definitely improve the country capacity to monitor POPs not only those listed in the Stockholm Convention but other toxic chemicals found in the environment. 

Table 1.1 Chemicals currently listed and under consideration for listing as POPs under the Stockholm Convention...

Full details of the evidence required for these criteria to be fulfilled are included under Annex A of the text of the Stockholm Convention. As of late 2008, a further 12 chemicals were under consideration by POPRC for inclusion under the Convention. These are also listed in Table 1.1. 

However, the convention is open for addition of new POPs to be included and to be listed in either of the Annexes A (elimination), B (permitted uses) or C (unintentional releases). To do so, a formal process has been set up in the convention the process is led by the POP Review Committee (POPRC). The POPRC is a subsidiary body to the Stockholm Convention, established pursuant to paragraph 6(d) of Article 19 of the Convention. The mandate of the POPRC is to perform the functions assigned to it by the Convention, including the scientific review of the proposals and related information submitted by Parties to the Convention for listing new chemicals in Annex A, B and C according to Article 8 of the Convention, and to make recommendations to the Conference of the Parties. 

National environmental laws often reflect two global treaties, the Rotterdam Convention and the Stockholm Convention. Brief summaries follow. The Rotterdam Convention establishes a prior informed consent (PIC) procedure for importing shipments of chemicals listed in Annex 111 of the convention and provides for information exchange between participating countries. Adopted in September 1998, it entered into force February 2004 [1]. The 2001 Stockholm Convention requires parties to the treaty to take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into the environment [2]. As described in this chapter, regulations on persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances address POPs. Industry value in 1970 dollars adjusted for inflation using the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator at http //www.bls.gov/data/inflation calcula-tor.htm, equivalent to 1.01 trillion in 2010. 

In 2001, the first meeting of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was held, and 12 pesticides, industrial chemicals, and by-products were classified as POPs. In 2009, the fourth meeting of the conference was held, and nine additional chemicals were added to the list (see Table 13.1). The origins and uses (if any) of these compounds are largely unrelated, and yet, the compounds share several features. The main criteria of POPs as defined by the Stockholm Convention include persistency, bioaccumulation, toxicity and long-range environmental transport [1,2]. 

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