According to a new study, the insecticide Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) has declined in humans and the environment since 2004 due to tight regulation globally, along with 11 other Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
Key highlights of report
- Even, replacements for lethal POPs (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).)— often banned later due to their similar properties — have also been detected at high levels.
- The levels of 12 POPs including DDT have declined globally. These 12 were initially listed in the 2004 Stockholm Convention.
- Other POPs continue to be present everywhere. For instance, dieldrin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which have been regulated for long, were detected at elevated levels in the air across the African continent, the Caribbean, and Latin America, according to the report.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
- Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemicals of global concern due to their potential for long-range transport, persistence in the environment, ability to bio-magnify and bio-accumulate in ecosystems, as well as their significant negative effects on human health and the environment.
- Humans are exposed to these chemicals in a variety of ways: mainly through the food we eat, but also through the air we breathe, in the outdoors, indoors and at the workplace.
- It has been recognized that breastmilk is an ideal matrix to generally monitor levels of persistent organic pollutants in the environment.
- POPs are linked to cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, and increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease due to their endocrine disrupting properties. However, other POPs are present everywhere.
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
- The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is a legally binding international instrument.
- It was adopted by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on 22 May 2001 in Stockholm, Sweden.
- The Convention entered into force on 17 May 2004.
- It aims to reduce or eliminate the production, use, and/or release of 12 key POPs.
- India had ratified the Stockholm Convention on January 13, 2006.
