Persistent Organic Pollutants: Chemicals That Won't Go Away and Hurt Us All

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Children's Health Environmental Coalition

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Persistent Organic Pollutants: Chemicals That Won't Go Away and Hurt Us All

by Francine Stephens

 

Children's Health Environmental Coalition

 

 

 

From an environmental and health standpoint,Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

are among the most dangerous known toxins. POPs are both potent carcinogens and

neurotoxins. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, trace

amounts of POPs are present in virtually all ecosystems worldwide. That means,

that these chemicals invade the sources of our drinking water, drift on air

currents into our backyards, and accumulate in our foods.

 

What Exactly are Persistent Organic Pollutants?

 

Persistent organic pollutants are organic (carbon-based) chemicals that do not

break down, either chemically or biologically, in the environment. They are

persistent, which means that they be found in the environment for decades and

even centuries.

 

POPs only became an issue during the last century, as they are products and

byproducts of human industrial processes. They include many pesticides, such as

DDT and industrial products, like dioxins and PCBs.

 

Not only do POPs remain in the environment, they also have a tendency to

accumulate in the fatty tissue of living animals and humans. Once in the fat

tissue, POPs do not disappear. POPs have been found in human breast tissue,

fish, meat, and dairy products worldwide.

 

POPs are able to move long distances in the environment, resulting in widespread

distribution across the earth, including regions where they have never been

used.

 

Some Persistent Organic Pollutants and Their Uses

 

DDT is an insecticide used primarily on agricultural crops like cotton. It is

also used to control mosquitoes and other insects that carry diseases like

malaria and typhus. DDT is banned in the U.S., but is still used in other

countries.

Aldrin and dieldrin are insecticides used for crops like corn, cotton,

cantaloupes, spinach, soybeans, and sweet potatoes. They are also used for

termite control. Both chemicals have been banned in the U.S.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are used for many industrial uses, including

in electrical transformers, as paint additives, and in plastics. PCBs were

banned in the 1970s in the U.S. although some PCBs are still permitted in some

closed electrical systems and they remain in old electronic products and in

waste sites.

Dioxins are industrial byproducts, created during the production of some

chlorine-based chemicals and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, and the bleaching

of paper and textiles. Dioxins have no known use. They are now everywhere in the

environment.

Lindane is used for seed and wood treatment and as an insecticidal spray for

a number of food crops. But the most common medical use of lindane in the U.S is

medicated shampoo to control head lice. Lindane is not produced in Canada or the

U.S., but both countries continue to import the pesticide.

 

The Dangers of Persistent Organic Pollutants

 

Exposure to POPs has been linked to many health effects, including birth

defects, immune system disorders, reproductive health disorders, endocrine and

nervous system abnormalities, and cancers.

 

Because POPs are the product and by-products of industry, contamination is the

highest in developed countries.

 

Although many POPs have been banned in the U.S. and other countries, many

continue to be used around the world. This makes us all unsafe.

 

What is Being Done about POPs

 

The United Nations Environment Programme recently sponsored an international

agreement to phase out production, use, and release of POPs (December 2000).

Twelve POPs have been identified as initial phaseout targets under the new

treaty.

 

While most of the persistent organic pollutants targeted for global elimination

under this treaty have been banned in the United States, these POPs continue to

make their way into the food supply and environment due to use outside of the

U.S.

 

In fact, virtually all food products are contaminated with residues of POPs now

banned in the U.S., according to Nowhere to Hide: Persistent Toxic Chemicals in

the U.S. Food Supply by Pesticide Action Network North America and Commonweal

(March 2001). The report states it is not unusual for our daily diets to contain

food items contaminated with three to seven POPs.

 

Organizations worldwide are working to eliminate POPs in our environment. The

Pesticide Action Network is an international coalition of more than 400 citizens

groups in more than 60 countries working to urge the elimination of POPs by

promoting the POP treaty.

 

For tips on how to keep your family's exposure to POPs low, see POPs: 10 Ways to

Minimize Your Exposure.

See also: Persistent Organic Pollutants Increase Risk of Several Cancers:

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, and Cancer in Children

 

Reources:

 

Pesticide Action Network

 

Physicians for Social Responsibility

 

The United Nations Environment Programme Site on POPs

 

 

 

 

 

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