Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

• Highly toxic chemicals– Pesticides– Industrial chemicals– Unwanted industrial by-products that are harmful to

humans and the environment• Estimated that 400 million tons are produced annually

worldwide• The “dirty dozen” aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, dioxins,

furans, endrin, HCB, heptachlor, mirex, PCBs, toxaphene• Stored in fat and are persistent

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Persistent Organic Pollutants, POPs

Stockholm Convention on POPs:

• The Convention represents a global response to the issue of POPs

• The goal of the Convention is to protect human health and the environment from POPs

• The Convention initially focuses on the twelve most dangerous POPs - the “Dirty Dozen”

Persistent Organic Pollutants, POPs

The “Dirty Dozen”

1. Aldrin 2. Chlordane

3. Dieldrin 4. Endrin

5. Heptachlor 6. Hexachlorobenzene

7. Mirex 8. Toxaphene

9. DDT 10. Polychlorinated byphenyls (PCBs)

11. Dioxin 12. Furans

Characteristics of POPs

• Persistence – POPs resist degradation in air, water, sediments, and organisms for months to decades

• Bio-accumulation – ability to accumulate in living tissues at levels higher than those in the surrounding environment;

• Potential for long-range transport – potential to travel great distances through various media (air, water, migratory species).

Effects of POPs on human & ecosystem health:

• Damage to the nervous system

• Birth defects

• Damage to the immune system

• Disrupt endocrine systems

• Induce reproductive and developmental changes

Principal sectoral sources of POPS:

• Hospital industry (local incineration/plastic)

• Hazardous waste incinerators

• Cement kilns burning hazardous wastes

• Chemical waste – by-products

• Electricity distribution

• Pesticides (9 of 12)

• Secondary smelting

• Pulp and paper (e.g. chlorine bleaching)

• Automobiles – chlorinated scavengers in leaded gas burn to produce dioxin; 2-stroke motors blend synthetic oils with various chlorinated compounds.

POPs & Food Safety

• Plants and animals are exposed to contaminants that accumulate in the environment

• Pollutants move from soil and water into plants, and from there into animals

• For Example – the diet of carnivores (and humans) in the Arctic involves the consumption of species high up in the food chain This results in a higher chance of poisoning

• Feeding on caribou vs. marine mammals exposes humans to different levels of contaminants

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Concepts

Bioaccumulation• The process by which a contaminant accumulates

in the tissues of an individual organism• E.g. certain chemicals in food eaten by a fish tend

to accumulate in its liver and other tissues – the chemicals are taken in faster than the individual can get rid of them– PCBs are stored in fat– Cadmium is stored in the kidneys– Mercury is stored in the liver

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Concepts

Biomagnification• Increase in concentration of certain stable

chemicals (for example, heavy metals or fat-soluble pesticides) in successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web.

• E.g. metals such as mercury, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs, pesticides, dioxins

• Note: Not all contaminants biomagnify

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Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification

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An extra link, on top of an already long food chain

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Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

• PCBs biomagnify• At low level in food can affect the reproductive

system and thyroid, may damage the immune and nervous system

• Prenatal infants exposed to PCBs tend to have a higher incidence of upper respiratory-tract infections

• Suspected to cause liver, skin, and intestinal cancers

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Non-POP Contamination: Heavy Metals

• Minerals that are naturally present in rocks and soils in all parts of the world, including the bed rock and unconsolidated material of the Canadian Arctic

• E.g. mercury, cadmium, lead• Cadmium and mercury are released as a by-

product of mining and smelting primary long-range transport is through the atmosphere

• Significant quantities of mercury are also released as a result of the erosive and chemical actions that take place in reservoirs built to store water for large hydro-electric projects

• Metal levels are highest in people who eat large amounts of organ meat

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Example: Mercury

• Mercury is a natural element that occurs in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the Arctic

• Atmospherically deposited mercury is emitted from sources such as coal-fired electric utilities and waste incinerators in the south

• Global levels of atmospheric mercury are increasing each year

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Mercury

• Major source of mercury is through meat, in the form of methyl mercury

• Highest in people who eat a lot of marine food• Methyl mercury is easily taken up through the

intestinal wall• Major health concern is damage to the brain and

nervous system, may also affect the immune system

• Methyl mercury easily passes through the placenta and can affect the fetus may cause neurological damage

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Case Study: James Bay Project

• The construction of a series of hydroelectric power stations on the La Grande River in northwestern Québec

• One of the largest hydroelectric systems in the world

• Installed generating capacity of 16,000 megawatts 3x more power than the power station at Niagara Falls!

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James Bay Project• 1971: plans unveiled for the construction of

several large hydroelectric power stations on the rivers flowing into James Bay

• Environmental assessments were not required under Québec law at the time

• Strong opposition to the project by the Crees of James Bay, the Inuit to the north, and several environmental groups– They believed the government was violating treaties

and committing unlawful expropriation and destruction of traditional hunting and trapping lands

– The Cree and Inuit were not informed of the project until after the construction of access roads had begun

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James Bay Project

• 1975: the governments of Canada and Québec signed the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement with the Cree and Inuit– Granted exclusive hunting and fishing rights to

~170,000 km2 of territory and 250 million dollars in financial compensation in return for the right to develop the project

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James Bay Project: Environmental Impact

• Caniapiscau and Eastmain rivers were diverted into La Grande River watershed

• 11,000 km2 of Boreal forest was submerged• Flow of La Grande River doubled

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La Grande Rivière

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James Bay Project: Mercury

• Before the project, local levels of mercury in lakes and rivers were high due to atmospheric pollution and the natural geology of the region

• When a reservoir is created the existing vegetation and soil is submerged, causing it to decompose and deplete oxygen from the water supply

• Mercury that exists in a harmless inorganic form in the soil may be transformed by bacteria into methyl mercury once the soil is flooded

• The toxic methyl mercury is lethal to the fish and can be absorbed and passed up the food chain

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James Bay Project: Mercury

• Mercury concentrations in benthic insects, fish (which feed on benthic insects), and nestling tree swallows (which feed on fish) increased after flooding

• Many native people in villages where fish are a main component of the diet have shown symptoms of mercury poisoning

• Mercury concentrations in fishery resources of reservoirs may remain substantially elevated for decades after flooding

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Mercury in fish in La Grande 2 reservoir

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Mercury in Maternal BloodRegion Micro-grams

mercury/liter whole blood

West. NWT 1.7

N-central NWT 3.5

Nunavik (N. Québec) 13.7

NW Greenland 19.8

N Sweden 1.6

N Norway 2.3

Iceland 2.9

Nikel, Russia 2.3 26

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants: Example of

Implementation (India)

• Adopted in Stockholm on 22 May 2001• 151 Signatories; 118 Parties• Entered into force on 17 May 2004• Entered into force for India on 13April 2006

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Stockholm Convention: Provisions

• Main areas of Convention:

– Control provisions:

Intentionally Produced POPs

Unintentionally Produced POPs

Stockpiles and Wastes

– General obligations

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General Obligations

• NIPs (National Implementation Plans)

• National Focal Point

• Review and update plan

• Promote public information, awareness and education

• Encourage research, development, monitoring and cooperation

• Report to the COP

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Appendix – Extra Case Study:POPs in India

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POPs Status in India Chemical Category Current status in India

Aldrin Pesticide Banned Chlordane Pesticide Banned DDT Pesticide Banned (with restricted use)

Dieldrin Pesticide Banned Endrin Pesticide Banned Hepachlor Pesticide Banned Hexachloro Pesticide/industrial Never registered benzene for use in India as pesticide

pesticide Mirex Pesticide Not registered

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POPs Status in India (contd.)

Toxaphene Pesticide Banned

PCBs Industrial Never manufactured

Dioxins By-product Unintentional by-product

Furans By-product Unintentional by-product

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INDIA’S CONCERNS

• Lack of proper inventorization of POPs • Lack of inventorisation of PCBs and PCB containing equipments• Lack of inventories of sources and estimates of releases of dioxins and

furans• Identification of stockpiles • Identification of contaminated sites • Disposal of obsolete stockpiles of pesticides .• Lack of awareness• Inadequate backup lab facility• Capacity building• Availability of technical and financial resources vital to meet obligations

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ACTIONS - PESTICIDES

• Establishment of Inventory of POPs pesticides• Identification of stockpiles of obsolete stocks • Inventorization of contaminated sites • Disposal of obsolete pesticides .• Raising awareness• Capacity building

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ACTIONS - DDT

• Establishment of inventory • Development of reduction and phase out strategies• Develop & test cost effective alternatives to DDT• Establish inventory of stockpiles• Increase general awareness • Capacity building

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ACTIONS - PCBs

• Develop sector wise inventories of PCBs and PCB containing equipments.

• Identification of sites with transformer oils with high concentration of PCBs

• Develop a management plan for removal, storage & destruction

• Upgrade analytical facilities• Develop standards for safe handling• Raising awareness

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ACTIONS – DIOXINS & FURANS

• Systematic inventorisation of dioxins/ furans • Qualitative identification of sources of

dioxins/furans available from some major industrial sectors

• Strengthening of analytical facilities • Comprehensive monitoring of the sources• Raising awareness• Enforcement of regulatory standards• Development and adoption of BAT and BEP for

cleaner production

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The National Implementation Plan (NIP)

• Implementation strategya. POPs pesticides including DDTb. PCBs and PCB containing equipments management c. Dioxins and Furans management d. Management of stockpiles and wastes including contaminated sites

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