Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs): A Global Threat and India’s Response

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are toxic chemicals that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk to human health and the ecosystem.
Recently, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), conducted a comprehensive global study on POPs, highlighting both progress and new concerns.

What are POPs?

POPs are carbon-based chemical substances that include pesticides, industrial chemicals, or by-products of industrial processes.
Key characteristics include:
- Long-term environmental persistence
- Low water solubility but high lipid solubility, causing them to accumulate in living organisms
- Semi-volatile, allowing them to travel long distances in the atmosphere
- Resistant to degradation by sunlight, biological activity, and chemical processes
- Examples: DDT, Dieldrin, Endrin, Heptachlor, etc.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) pose serious threats to both human health and the environment due to their toxic and persistent nature.

Cancer: Exposure to POPs has been linked to various forms of cancer.
Liver Damage: Long-term accumulation of POPs can impair liver function.
Reproductive Issues: POPs can interfere with fertility and reproductive development.
Respiratory Problems: Substances like POPs have been associated with asthma and other respiratory disorders.
Thyroid Disorders: POPs can disrupt the normal functioning of the thyroid gland.

POPs act as endocrine disruptors, meaning they interfere with hormonal balance.
They mimic or block natural hormones, leading to developmental, reproductive, and immune system problems.

Bioaccumulation: POPs accumulate in the fatty tissues of living organisms, increasing in concentration over time.
Biomagnification: As POPs move up the food chain, their concentration magnifies—affecting top predators, including humans.
- This leads to long-lasting contamination of ecosystems, impacting wildlife and biodiversity.

Since 2004, the use of 12 major Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) has substantially decreased.
This decline is credited to global regulatory actions under frameworks like the Stockholm Convention.

DDT (Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane), once widely used as an insecticide, has shown a more than 70% reduction in human milk samples since 2004.
This indicates effective phase-out and reduced exposure in humans.

Despite progress with legacy pollutants, replacement chemicals such as PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) were found at high levels.
These substances have similar persistent and toxic properties, suggesting new environmental and health risks are emerging.

An international legally binding treaty adopted in 2001 and enforced in 2004
Aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of POPs
India ratified the Convention in 2006
India also notified “Regulation of POP Rules, 2018” under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) acts as the interim financial mechanism for the convention

Ratified the Stockholm Convention in 2006.
Introduced the Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules, 2018 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Launched awareness and training programs for safer chemical management.

Legacy Contamination
- Persistent presence of POPs in soil, water, and industrial waste, especially in old industrial sites.
Illegal Use of Banned Chemicals
- Continued, unauthorized use of banned POP-based pesticides in agriculture, despite regulatory restrictions.
Weak Monitoring and Infrastructure
- Lack of capacity and infrastructure for effective tracking, testing, and enforcement of POP rules, especially in rural and remote areas.