■ Definition and characteristics of persistent organic pollutants
Persistent organic pollutants, also known as POPs, are substances that accumulate in the body and disrupt the human endocrine system and damage the immune system. Toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation and long-range transport. Most chemicals classified as POPs are highly fat-soluble and tend to accumulate in fatty tissues, and are found in particularly high concentrations in animals and humans at the top of the food chain. The half-life of POPs in the human body varies depending on the individual chemical, but most range from several years to several decades.
■ Specific characteristics of POPs outlined in the Stockholm Convention
Key Features | |
Toxicity | If it is a substance that has harmful effects on the human body or living organisms, such as causing cancer or disrupting the endocrine system. |
Persistence | If the half-life of the chemical is more than 2 months in water, 6 months or more in soil or sediment, or other substances are judged to have high persistence. |
Bioaccumulation | Decomposition occurs at an extremely slow rate, leading to a biological concentration coefficient exceeding 5,000 and an octanol-water partition coefficient (Log Kow) value of 5 or higher. In other instances where biological concentration is deemed to be high. |
Long range transport | Cases with an atmospheric half-life of more than 2 days and long-distance mobility of hundreds or thousands of kilometers through wind, ocean currents, migratory birds, etc. |
■ Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international agreement that prohibits or restricts the manufacture, use, export, and import of specific substances aimed at reducing persistent organic pollutants (POPs). It was adopted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in May 2001 and came into force on May 17, 2004.
■ Types of persistent organic pollutants
■ References
Current National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Table (0) | 2024.03.08 |
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Environmental Health: Health effects of low-concentration POPs (0) | 2024.03.08 |
Environmental Health: Dioxins and cancers (0) | 2024.03.08 |
Dioxins (0) | 2024.03.08 |
Radon and Lung cancer (0) | 2024.03.08 |