POPs

一、Core Features
Durability: It is difficult to be degraded by biological, chemical, or physical processes in the natural environment (soil, water, atmosphere), and can exist for a long time, with a residual time of several years or even decades.
Bioaccumulation: Strong lipid solubility, easily enriched in adipose tissue within the body, gradually amplified through the food chain, with humans at the top of the food chain being most significantly affected.
Long distance transferability: It can be transported over long distances through media such as the atmosphere and water bodies, and can be detected even in polar regions where POPs have never been produced.
High toxicity: It has the "three pathogenic" effects of carcinogenesis, teratogenicity, and mutagenicity, and can also damage the reproductive system, immune system, and endocrine system, with particularly prominent harm to infants, young children, and pregnant women.
二、Main types (Stockholm Convention control list)
The Stockholm Convention is the core international convention for the global control of POPs. Currently, the controlled POPs have expanded to dozens of types, mainly divided into several categories: the first batch of 12 "dirty dozen" controlled POPs
Organochlorine pesticides: DDT, hexachlorobenzene, chlordane, methomyl, etc
Industrial chemicals: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
Unintentional emission of by-products: dioxins, furans
Subsequent addition of controlled substances
Partial flame retardant: Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)
Partial perfluorinated compounds: Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and related compounds (note: PFOS belongs to both PFAS and POPs categories)
Other pesticides: endosulfan, hexabromobiphenyl, etc
三、Main sources
Intentional production: Historically used in pesticides, industrial chemicals, flame retardants, etc., DDT was widely used as a broad-spectrum insecticide, and PCBs were used in transformer insulation oil.
Unintentional production: It is a byproduct of industrial production or combustion processes, such as waste incineration, metallurgy, and chemical production, which can produce dioxins and furans.
四、Global control requirements
At the international level, the Stockholm Convention requires contracting parties to gradually phase out or restrict the production, use, and emissions of POPs, establish mechanisms for remediation of contaminated sites, and strengthen monitoring and information sharing.
Regional and national levels
EU: Listing POPs on the Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) and Restriction List through REACH regulation, prohibiting products containing POPs from being placed on the market;
The United States: Based on TSCA regulations, the production and use of POPs such as PCBs and dioxins are restricted, and pollution emissions are strictly controlled;
China: After joining the Stockholm Convention, it released the "List of Key Control New Pollutants", implemented bans, restrictions, and pollution control measures on POPs, and promoted the research and development of alternative technologies.
五、Related to the standards/substances you previously focused on
Relationship with PFAS: Some PFAS (such as PFOS) are included in the Stockholm Convention for control due to their core characteristics as POPs, and are classified as dual controlled substances.
Relationship with REACH/TSCA: Both have listed POPs as key restricted substances, which are key compliance thresholds for related products to enter the European and American markets.
Relationship with RoHS: Currently, RoHS does not directly control most POPs, but if plastic and coated components in electronic and electrical products contain POPs (such as PCBs), they will also be required to restrict their use.

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