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Introduction to the new POPs
Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
THIS PRESENTATION
• Overview of the POPs listed in 2009, 2011, 2013
• Pesticides
• Industrial Chemicals:
• PFOS
• BDEs
• HBCD listed in 2013
Original 12 POPs
Pesticide
Aldrin
+
Chlordane
+
DDT
+
Dieldrin
+
Endrin
+
Heptachlor
+
Mirex
+
Toxaphene
+
Hexachlorobenzene
+
PCB
Industrial Chemical
Unintentional
production
+
+
+
+
PCDD
+
PCDF
+
Annexes to the Convention
Annex A (Elimination)
Each Party shall prohibit and/or take the legal and administrative
measures necessary to eliminate its production and use of chemicals
in Annex A subject to the provisions of that Annex
Annex B (Restriction)
Each Party shall restrict its production and use of chemicals in Annex B
in accordance with the provisions of that Annex
Annex C (Continuing minimization)
Each Party shall take measures to reduce the total releases derived from
anthropogenic sources of each of the chemicals listed in Annex C, with
the goal of their continuing minimization and, where feasible, ultimate
elimination
OVERVIEW OF THE POPS LISTED
in 2009, 2011 and 2013
PESTICIDES
Chlordecone
Past use:
Agricultural pesticide (banana plantation)
Used in 1966-1975 in the USA for ant and roach.
Also known as « Kepon ».
Properties similar to Mirex.
Currently:
No production and use reported.
e.g. The French island of Martinique is heavily
contaminated with chlordecone.
Alternatives:
Available
 Listed in: Annex A (Elimination)
 Production: Total ban - No exemption
 Use: Total ban - No exemption
Lindane
Past use:
About 600,000 tons of lindane was used globally 1950-2000
as pesticide and veterinary and human applications
Currently:
Some countries are still known to use lindane
Alternatives:
Exists but not readily available in some countries especially
for control of head lice and scabies
 Listed in: Annex A (Elimination)
 Production: Total ban - No exemption
 Use: Specific exemption: Human health pharmaceutical for
control of head lice and scabies as second line treatment
 Possible additional control measures:
• Limiting the package size; appropriate label
• Protecting vulnerable groups;
• Outreach and awareness; promoting alternatives
Alpha-Hexachlorohexane
Beta-Hexachlorohexane
Past:
beta-HCH
High-volume by-products of lindane.
1 ton of lindane
HCH.
Currently:
alpha-HCH
8 tons of mainly alpha- and beta-
Large stockpiles
Contaminated sites around former lindane production sites
Alternatives:
Not needed.
 Listed in Annex A (Elimination)
 Production: Total ban - No exemption
 Use: Total ban - No exemption
GLOBAL ISSUE for POPs pesticides: obsolete stockpiles
10
Listed in 2011: endosulfan
Past use:
insecticide, wood preservative, veterinary
insecticide.
Currently:
Broad range insecticide in agriculture.
Alternatives:
Available in many geographical situations;
Continued use required during phase-in of
alternatives in some countries
May be difficult to replace endosulfan for specific
crop-pest complexes.
Listing of endosulfan
• Decision adopted at COP5 in April 2011
• Entry into force: 27 October 2012
• NIPs to be updated 2 years after entry into force
Technical endosulfan (CAS No: 115-29-7)
alpha-endosulfan
(CAS No: 959-98-8)
beta-endosulfan
(CAS No: 33213-65-9)
Listed in: Annex A (Elimination)
Production: Exemptions for Parties listed in Register of specific
exemptions
Use: Exemptions for crop-pest complexes (example:
wheat/aphids) as listed in accordance with the provisions of
part VI of Annex A
INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS
• Flame retardants
• PFOS, its salts & PFOS-F
13
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
• Polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of
industrial chemicals which have been widely used as
additive flame retardants since 1970s.
• PBDEs were produced at three different degrees of
bromination: commercial Pentabromodiphenyl ether
(c-PentaBDE), commercial Octabromodiphenyl ether
(c-OctaBDE) and c-DecaBDE
POP-BDEs in the Stockholm Convention
Prominent POP-PBDE congeners
Br
BDE-47
Br
Br
Br
BDE-154
Br
Br
Br
O
O
Br
Br
Br
Br
Br
Br
O
Br
Br
BDE-183
Br
Br
Obligation under the Convention
• Production and use of POP-PBDE is not allowed.
• Recycling of articles containing “POP-PBDEs”
Material flow c-PentaBDE containing articles
?
Hexabromobiphenyl
Past use:
Flame retardants.
Added to plastics used in products such as home
electrical appliances, textiles, plastic foams, laptop
cabinets, etc. to make them difficult to burn.
Currently:
No production and use reported.
Alternatives:
Available
Listed in: Annex A (Elimination)
Production: Total ban - No exemption
Use: Total ban - No exemption
Hexabromobipheny (HBB)
• HBB was also newly listed as POPs in the Convention
• Approximately 6000 tonnes of commercial HBB were
produced in the United States from 1970 to 1976.
• Assumption: Due to the early and relatively small
production & use of HBB, it is of minor relevance and
most HBB containing materials have been disposed off
decades ago.
• Also reflected in the low HBB/PBB levels in food and the
related low exposure: E.g. in European countries (having
used PBB to some extent in the past) HBB/PBBs were
mostly below detection levels in food (EFSA 2010).
Newest POP: flame retardant
HBCD
Background
1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane
Stereoisomers: 70-95% γ-HBCD, 3-30% α- and β-HBCD
PRODUCTION: China, Netherlands, Japan, and USA (31,000 tonnes in
2011)
USE: Additive brominated flame retardant
•
Insulation and construction:
o flame-retarded expanded (EPS) and extruded (XPS)
polystyrene foam
•
•
Back-coatings for upholstery and other interior textiles
Electric and electronic appliances:
o high impact polystyrene (HIPS)
Risk Profile
• High chronic toxicity to aquatic organisms
• Reproductive toxicity to mammals & birds
• Effects on the thyroid-hormone system and the
nervous system in mammals
• PNEC for secondary effects in wildlife exceeded in
source regions
• Risk of adverse effects in Arctic top predators and
marine mammals
Increasing
Releases
The increasing amount of
construction materials are
potentially long-term sources of
HBCD to the environment when
buildings are demolished or
renovated
– lifespan of PS foams in buildings is
30-50 years
– likely that releases of HBCD will be
more significant in the future
particularly from 2025 onwards
Listing at COP6, enters into force about October 2014
• Hexabromocyclododecane
• Production: As allowed for the parties listed in the
Register in accordance with the provisions of Part
VII of this Annex
• Use: Expanded polystyrene and extruded
polystyrene in buildings in accordance with the
provisions of Part VII of this Annex
• Each Party that has registered for the exemption
shall take necessary measures to ensure that
expanded polystyrene and extruded polystyrene
containing hexabromocyclododecane can be easily
identified by labelling or other means throughout
its life-cycle.
PFOS, its salts & PFOS-F, PFOS
related chemicals
PFOS - bioaccumulation and health effects






PFOS bioaccumulates and biomagnifies. The half-live in
humans is approximately 5 years.
PFOS does not follow the classic POPs-pattern (not into
fatty tissues), but instead binds to proteins.
Therefore accumulate mainly in organs such as liver,
kidney, brain and spleen.
In animal studies PFOS causes cancer, neonatal mortality;
physical development delays and endocrine disruption.
Higher maternal levels of PFOS and PFOA were associated
with delayed pregnancy (Fei et al. 2009)
Reduced human semen quality with increased
PFOS/PFOA level (Jogsten et al. EHP 2010)
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and
perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF)
Past use:
Surfactant, water and fat repellent
PFOS is both intentionally produced and a degradation product of PFOSrelated substances (PFOS precursors) in the environment.
Currently:
PFOS is still produced and used in several countries.
Alternatives: Available for some types of use but no known technically feasible
alternatives for some applications e.g. semi-conductor, photo imaging,
aviation hydraulic fluids
Guidance on alternatives to PFOS and its derivatives (POPRC 2011)
Listed in Annex B (Restriction) with
Specific exemptions and Acceptable purposes
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and
perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF): obligations
Regulated by Annex B are :
- PFOS, its salts, PFOSF and PFOS related chemicals
PFOS related chemicals are chemicals that contain the structural
element PFOS in their molecular structure as they are and were
produced with perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts or
perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF) as an intermediate or
starting material
Specific exemptions and acceptable purposes available for production and
use of PFOS, its salts, PFOSF and PFOS related chemicals
Aceptable purpose
Examples
Specific exemptions
photo-imaging
textiles and upholstery
aviation hydraulic fluids
coatings and coating additives
Some past/current uses of PFOS
POPS FROM UNINTENTIONAL
PRODUCTION
Pentachlorobenzene
Past use:
Component of PCB products, fungicide, flame retardant.
Currently:
Possible continuous use as intermediate for production of
quintozene (pentachloronitrobenzene: fungicide).
Unintentional production during combustion, thermal and
industrial processes
Impurities in chlorinated products e.g. solvents, pesticides.
Alternatives:
Available
Listed in: Annex A (Elimination)
Production: Total ban - No exemption
Use: Total ban - No exemption
Listed in: Annex C (Unintentional production)
Yes or No
Have those items something in
common?
To remember:
• Stockholm Convention is a living international treaty
• 9 new POPs added to the Stockholm Convention in 2009
• 4 pesticides:
• Main challenge is disposal of obsolete stockpiles
• 4 industrial chemicals:
• Widespread distribution in products & articles in use
• Contamination of recycling streams
• Environmentally sound disposal of wastes
• 1 chemical from unintentional production (PeCB):
• Reducing releases from point and diffuse sources
• 1 new pesticide POP: endosulfan listed at COP5 in April
2011
(entered into force for Parties: 27 October 2012)
• 1 new flame retardant HBCD listed at COP6 in Mai 2013