Metadata Analysis of Persistent Organic Pollutants in National Pools of Human Milk in Support of the Stockholm Convention Implementation

A set of human milk samples,consisting of pools from up to 50 mothers that delivered their first baby was assessed for the persistent organic pollutants(POPs)listed in the Stockholm Convention.It must be noted that only samples that qualified for the criteria,as established in the global monitoring plan of the Stockholm Convention,following an initial protocol from the World Health Organization,were included.The data do not allow for an assessment of POP concentrations in breast milk with lactation period nor,in most cases and when not indicated otherwise,a comparison within the same country.The assessment does not rank the POPs as to the risk for breastfeeding.Rather the measurements provide a basis for countries to compare among POPs or with other countries.A regional preference for certain POPs could not be identified;thus,taking into account global food supply chains and local production elsewhere does not allow us to prioritize a country for a certain POP.Although the highest concentrations were always found for the sum of DDT,these samples were not prominent in multivariate statistical analyses.The best indicator for the scale of POPs in breast milk was the sampling year:the earlier a national pool was created,the higher and the wider spread were the concentrations:see the example of dioxin-like POPs and indicator PCB.For some POPs,the income of a country seems to indicate scale and POP compounds.The population density was not found to be a suitable predictor or discriminator.Since all POPs seemed to level off and some POPs were only measured after the entry-into-force of the Stockholm Convention in 2004,we do not have a strong indicator to determine POP concentrations in the 1980s or before.

Twenty years of achievements in China’s implementation of the Stockholm Convention

Persistent organic pollutants(POPs)are extremely harmful to the environment and human health;the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was therefore adopted by the international community in 2001 to eliminate or reduce the production,use,and emissions of POPs.China is the largest developing country that has signed the Stockholm Convention,and thus plays an important role in its implementation.This paper systematically studies the practice and achievements of China since it signed the Stockholm Convention 20 years ago.China has established an implementation guarantee system including institutions,implementation mechanisms,policies,law enforcement,and scientific and technological support.During the 20 years since the implementation of the Stockholm Convention,dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane(DDT)and hexachlorocyclohexane(HCH)concentrations in the air have been steadily decreasing,and Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid/Perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride(PFOS/PFOSF)concentrations in water bodies have decreased.In the past 20 years,China has safely disposed of 6352.1 tons of pesticide persistent organic pollutants and 36998 sets of electrical equipment containing polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs),with a disposal rate of 100%.In the future,China will further strengthen the construction of persistent organic pollutant monitoring networks,scientific research,publicity,education,and international cooperation to improve environmental quality,providing a reference for other countries to implement the Stockholm Convention.

Inventories and assessment of POPs in the State of Kuwait as a basis for Stockholm Convention implementation

Since 2006,Kuwait has been a party to the Stockholm Convention(SC)on Persistent Organic Pollutants(POPs).According to Article 7 of the SC,each party should develop a National Implementation Plan(NIP)and endeavour to implement the plan for the control and elimination of POPs.A first detailed National Implementation Plan has been developed for Kuwait with the support of the Stockholm Convention Regional Center for Capacity-Building and the Transfer of Technology for West Asia(SCRC Kuwait)in KISR.It includes a detailed action plan to manage and control the POPs in the country but also with activities to further give regional support for POPs monitoring and management.The current paper discusses the major inventory findings for the individual POPs groups including POPs pesticides,polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs),polybrominated diphenyl ethers,and hexabromocyclododecane(HBCD)as well as Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid(PFOS)and unintentional POPs.Besides,information from POPs monitoring studies in Kuwait relevant to the NIP is shortly compiled for further informing on the current situation of POPs in Kuwait.Selected soil samples were collected and analyzed for selected POPs during the NIP development to generate supplementary information to the POP monitoring studies already conducted in Kuwait.Further relevant areas for the POPs management and control were assessed during the NIP development and are listed in the paper.One finding in the NIP assessment was that some of the alternatives used are also bioaccumulative with toxicity in biota and that in the NIP implementation.Also,alternative pesticides in the current use are an issue of concern.Therefore one activity in the implementation of the NIP is the avoidance of regrettable alternatives and the use of more sustainable and green chemicals.

State of art control of dioxins/unintentional POPs in the secondary copper industry: A review to assist policy making with the implementation of the Stockholm Convention

Article 5 of the Stockholm Convention requires that each Party shall take measures to reduce the releases from anthropogenic sources of unintentional persistent organic pollutants(UPOPs),with the goal of their continuing minimization and,where feasible,their ultimate elimination.A major source of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans(PCDD/Fs)and other unintentional POPs releases,both in China and worldwide,is the metal industry in particular secondary metal industries such as copper smelting.More than 50%of the global secondary copper production is now in China and high levels of PCDD/Fs are released from these operations with the national inventory of China reporting a total of 1133.8 g toxic equivalents(TEQ)yr1.Consequently the Global Environment Facility(GEF)is supporting the project‘UPOPs Reduction through best available techniques and best environmental practices(BAT/BEP)in the secondary copper production sector’in China compromising>50%of the global secondary copper production.As part of this project,information on relevant UPOPs from the metal industry have been reviewed and is presented here.This information should also be useful for other(developing)countries for controlling UPOPs releases from metal industries.This review and the information it contains provides a robust resource for policy makers,the industry and researchers to improve secondary copper production to BAT/BEP standards in relation to the reduction of PCDD/Fs and other UPOPs release.The contents include the details required to assist the understanding of the formation of chlorinated UPOPs along with their brominated and brominated-chlorinated analogues.It reviews the international sources of information on BAT/BEP,including the integrated approach considered in the European BAT Reference document,and shows how this can be used to achieve an overall reduction of pollutant releases from the industry.The current national standards of PCDD/F limits to air,water and solid residues have been compiled and are also included.Challenges which need to be addressed,such as the current international lack to consider brominated and mixed bromo-chloro PXDD/Fs which might be more environmentally significant than PCDD/Fs in some facilities e are also discussed.The study includes a brief description of the steps China has taken to change the national regulatory framework and to improve the sustainability of its secondary metal industry.The Stockholm Convention BAT/BEP guidelines recommend consideration of integrated pollution prevention and control and sustainable production as general principles which parties may incorporate when applying the BAT/BEP guidelines and guidance.This holistic approach is considered in the current project and in the improvement of the pilot facilities and will also be considered in the replication of experiences in other facilities.Using this approach ensures the implementation of the Stockholm Convention can contribute to integrated pollution prevention and control,the development of a circular economy and consequently to genuinely sustainable development thus contributing to different sustainable development goals(SDGs).It is hoped this approach will be adopted in other developing and transition economies and thus help to achieve improvements of the secondary metal industry globally.

Snapshot Survey of the Presence of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Products, Articles, and the Environment in Ecuador

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants(POPs)is a legally binding instrument for 186 Parties(status:April 2023).Accordingly,among other responsibilities,countries are obliged to report the production,import,or export of the POPs listed in Annexes A,B,or C;provide information to registers;maintain inventories;and monitor the presence of POPs in the environment.In the broader context of international chemicals and waste management,producer responsibilities,harmonized reporting,and compliance with national and international regulations,Ecuador has addressed the newly listed group of perfluorinated alkyl substances(PFAS)in its national implementation plan and sent selected products from its national market for PFAS analysis.The products analyzed came from the initially listed fields of specific exemptions and acceptable purposes,including:fire-fighting foams;photographic aids;greasers/degreasers;various kinds of paper/packaging;textiles;and leather,coatings,cleaners,metal plating,and pesticides.Our results showed that the three PFAS presently listed in the Stockholm Convention could be quantified in only a few samples;additional PFAS,not yet listed in the Convention also had low detection frequencies.Although the number of samples was limited,the samples covered a large spectrum of sample matrices,making it possible to conclude that—once these products become waste and are regulated under the Basel Convention—they would not constitute a disposal problem.Nevertheless,verification of the presence of PFAS in products on the market is expected to pose an analytical challenge for both,developed and developing countries.

European cooperation to tackle the legacies of hexachlorocyclohexane(HCH)and lindane

Hexachlorocyclohexane(HCH)waste isomers from lindane production are the largest single POPs legacy,with an estimated 4.8 to 7.4 million tonnes of disposed waste.The largest part of this waste e 1.8 to 3 million tonnes e was disposed in Europe,where most producers were located.This paper provides a short overview of projects supported by the European Union(EU)to address this waste legacy and to implement the Stockholm Convention for this group of POPs with associated protection of soil,ecosystems and human health.We report here particularly on the results of a project financed by the EU called the“HCH in EU project”,which aimed to develop a systematic inventory of sites where HCH was handled and potentially resulted in contamination.The compiled information provide guidance for competent authorities to further assess their national HCH inventory and to further develop a strategy to address this large POP legacy in future.The systematic inventory revealed that there were at least 299 sites where HCH was handled.These sites include 54 former production sites,76 pesticide processing plants that used lindane,59 uncontrolled HCH waste isomer deposits,29 landfills with HCH waste,34 former or current storage sites for stocks of obsolete pesticides including technical HCH or lindane,and 16 HCH treatment or disposal sites.Additionally,at 31 of the sites lindane/technical HCH was used in applications with significant risk of soil pollution,such as wood treatment.The number of sites in this latter category is likely higher and will need further assessment.In addition to this inventory,the“HCH in EU project”produced detailed country reports,a guidance document for how to find potentially HCHimpacted sites,and a strategy document for implementing the sustainable management of these sites EU-wide,with proposed actions at the EU,country,and site level.Furthermore,the project has facilitated information exchange and e together with other related EU projects e has led to sharing information and best practices among member states and to establishing a network of authorities and other stakeholders working on the lindane/HCH waste legacy.This collaboration will facilitate a more systematic and better coordinated process to further assess,secure,and remediate the large HCH waste legacy and reduce and control lindane/HCH releases in the EU and possibly beyond.Such a coordinated effort and exchange of information for inventorying and managing contaminated sites might also be useful for other POPs such as PFOS/PFOA or dioxins.

Plasma concentrations of chlorinated persistent organic pollutants and their predictors in the general population of Algiers, Algeria

Background:Persistent organic pollutants(POPs)are subject of particular attention and in-depth studies which demonstrate their toxicity towards humans and biotope in general.POPs are therefore addressed by the Stockholm Convention globally with human milk or blood as matrix for effectiveness evaluation.Objectives:The objective of this study was to assess plasma concentrations of certain chlorinated POPs in subjects from the urban population in Algiers.Methods:A total number of 207 adult subjects were recruited in Algiers and plasma concentrations of Hexachlorobenzene(HCB),p,p’Dichlorodiphenyl DichloroEthylene(4,40 DDE)and Polychlorinated Biphenyls(PCBs)were determined by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection(GC-MS).Results:The nanogram per gram of lipids(ng g^(-1) lipids)geometric means of plasma concentrations of studied compounds were:6.09 for HCB,131.60 for 4,40 DDE,8.61 for PCB153,7.95 for PCB138 and 8.39 for PCB180.PCB 180,PCB 153 and PCB 138 showed a high correlation with each other(r>0.5).4,40 DDE concentrations were significantly higher in women and in subject with low educational level,whereas POPs were higher in older participants(>65 years old).Organochlorine pesticides(OCPs)and PCB153 concentrations were higher in overweight and obese subjects.There was no significant difference between POPs concentrations according to breastfeeding history,smoking status or fish consumption.Conclusions:Chlorinated POPs were detected in the blood plasma of adults living in Algiers.Plasma concentrations were consistent with those of several studies in the world.However,further investigations are needed to assess the exposure profile of subjects living near contaminated sites.

Screening-level exposure-based prioritization to identify potential POPs, vPvBs and planetary boundary threats among Arctic contaminants

A report that reviews Arctic contaminants that are not currently regulated as persistent organic pollutants(POPs)under international treaties was recently published by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme(AMAP).We evaluated 464 individual chemicals mentioned in the AMAP report according to hazard profiles for POPs,very persistent and very bioaccumulative(vPvB)chemicals,and two novel and distinct hazard profiles we derived from the planetary boundary threat framework.The two planetary boundary threat profiles assign high priority to chemicals that will be mobile and poorly reversible environmental contaminants.Utilizing persistence as a proxy for poor reversibility,we defined two exposure-based hazard profiles;airborne persistent contaminants(APCs)and waterborne persistent contaminants(WPCs)that are potential planetary boundary threats.We used in silico estimates of physicochemical properties and multimedia models to calculate hazard metrics for persistence,bioaccumulation and long-range transport potential,then we synthesized this information into four exposure-based hazard scores of the potential of each AMAP chemical to fit each of the POP,vPvB,APC and WPC exposure-based hazard profiles.As an alternative to adopting a“bright line”score that represented cause for concern,we scored the AMAP chemicals by benchmarking against a reference set of 148 known and relatively well-studied contaminants and expressed their exposure-based hazard scores as percentile ranks against the scores of the reference set chemicals.Our results show that scores in the four exposure-based hazard profiles provide complementary information about the potential environmental exposure-based hazards of the AMAP chemicals.Our POP,vPvB,APC and WPC exposure-based hazard scores identify high priority chemicals for further study from among the AMAP contaminants.

Temporal trends in concentrations of legacy and novel brominated flame retardants in house dust from Birmingham in the United Kingdom

Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers(PBDEs),hexabromocyclododecane(HBCDD),tetrabromobisphenol-A(TBBPA)and two potential replacements decabromodiphenylethane(DBDPE)and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane(BTBPE)were measured in dust samples collected from 14 homes across Birmingham(UK).Concentrations were compared with those from the same city in previous studies to ascertain any temporal changes and to assess the effects of legislative restrictions.The average PHBCDDs concentration(46,000 ng/g;median=280 ng/g)included the highest dust concentration recorded globally(570,000 ng/g).This is despite the listing of HBCDD under the Stockholm Convention in 2013,demonstrating that decreases in indoor contamination will likely be slow as existing sources are gradually discarded.In contrast,concentrations of BDE-47(mean=5.7 ng/g;median=0.93 ng/g)and BDE-99(mean=11 ng/g;median=2.9 ng/g)were significantly lower than in all previous(p<0.01)studies in the same city since 2006,suggesting restrictions on the Penta-BDE formulation have been effective.The average BDE-209 concentration(4800 ng/g;median=1600 ng/g)is lower than the peak average concentration,which was observed in 2007(280,000 ng/g),however this is not a significant decline,probably due to the later imposition of Deca-BDE restrictions compared to those on Penta-BDE.Decreases in PBDE concentrations have coincided with a significant(p<0.01)increase in DBDPE concentrations(average=1500 ng/g;median=660 ng/g)since 2014,suggesting its use as a replacement flame retardant for Deca-BDE.While no significant change was detected for BTBPE(average 11 ng/g;median=0.84 ng/g in this study);concentrations of TBBPA(average=34 ng/g;median=35 ng/g)were significantly lower(p<0.05)than in 2007(average 62 ng/g).The decreases observed in PBDE concentrations,demonstrates that legislation has been effective in reducing the commercial use of PBDEs,however this has coincided with increases of alternative flame retardants such as DBDPE.