Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants facts for kids
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an important international agreement. It was signed in 2001 and started working in May 2004. The main goal of this agreement is to stop or limit the use and making of certain harmful chemicals. These chemicals are called Persistent Organic Pollutants, or POPs for short.
POPs are chemicals that stay in the environment for a very long time. They can travel far from where they were used and build up in living things. This can be bad for people's health and the environment. Some well-known POPs include Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT).
In 2009, the agreement was updated to include even more chemicals, like Lindane. Some people worried that the Convention might make it harder to fight diseases like malaria. However, the agreement allows the use of certain chemicals for vector control. This means they can still be used to control pests like mosquitoes that spread diseases, but only in specific ways.
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What are Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)?
POPs are chemicals that have several dangerous features. They are very toxic, meaning they can harm living things. They also last a long time in the environment without breaking down easily. This allows them to spread far from their original source. They can build up in the food chain, meaning they become more concentrated in animals higher up the chain. For example, small fish eat tiny organisms with POPs, then bigger fish eat the small fish, and so on. This can affect humans who eat these animals.
Why is the Convention Important?
The Stockholm Convention helps protect our planet and our health. By controlling POPs, it aims to:
- Stop new POPs from being made.
- Get rid of existing POPs safely.
- Clean up places where POPs have caused pollution.
- Help countries work together to solve this global problem.
This agreement is a big step towards a cleaner and safer world for everyone. It shows how countries can cooperate to tackle environmental challenges that affect us all.
Chemicals the Convention Covers
The Stockholm Convention lists many chemicals that are considered POPs. These chemicals are put into different groups based on how they should be managed.
Chemicals to Eliminate
Many chemicals are listed for elimination. This means countries should stop making and using them completely. Some examples include:
- Aldrin: A pesticide once used in farming.
- Chlordane: Used as a pesticide, especially for termites.
- Dieldrin: Another pesticide used in agriculture.
- Endrin: A pesticide that is very harmful.
- Heptachlor: Used to control termites and other pests.
- Hexachlorobenzene: Used in some pesticides and as a chemical.
- Mirex: Used to control ants and termites.
- Toxaphene: A pesticide used on cotton and other crops.
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): Used in electrical equipment and other products. Their production is now banned.
Chemicals to Restrict
Some chemicals are listed for restriction. This means their use is allowed only for very specific purposes, usually when there are no safer alternatives.
- DDT: This chemical is well-known for its use as a pesticide. Under the Convention, DDT can still be used to control disease-carrying insects, like mosquitoes that spread malaria. This is allowed only when safer options are not available. It can also be used in making other chemicals.
Chemicals Produced Unintentionally
Some POPs are not made on purpose. Instead, they are created as unwanted byproducts during industrial processes or burning waste. The Convention aims to reduce these unintentional releases.
- Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins ("dioxins") and polychlorinated dibenzofurans: These are highly toxic chemicals. They are often released when waste is burned or during certain industrial activities.
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): While their production is banned, PCBs can also be released unintentionally from some processes.
- Hexachlorobenzene: This chemical can also be formed unintentionally.
See also
In Spanish: Convención de Estocolmo para niños
