Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS)
Persistent Organic Pollutants, or POPs, include certain industrial chemicals such as PCBs, pesticides such as DDT, chlordane and toxaphene, and unintentional contaminants and by-products such as dioxins and furans. They enter the environment as a result of human activity.
Bioaccumulation and Arctic effects
POPs bioaccumulate in living organisms, persist in the environment and have long-term toxic effects. POPs are semi-volatile chemicals. After their release into the environment, they travel in multiple cycles of evaporation, transport by air and condensation. Called the grasshopper effect, this process allows POPs to travel great distances quickly. In the cold climate of the Arctic, low evaporation rates trap POPs, and so they enter the food chain. In Canada, the highest concentrations of POPs in aquatic biota are found in the Arctic, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence basin. Scientific evidence indicates that POPs cause significant adverse effects to human health and wildlife.
Stockholm Convention - working toward a solution
On May 23, 2001, Canada was the first country to ratify the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (PDF), a global agreement that will dramatically reduce or eliminate emissions of 12 of these toxic substances. Canada completed and submitted its National Implementation Plan to the Stockholm Convention Secretariat on May 17, 2006.
Strategic Implementation Framework for International Commitments on Hazardous Air Pollutants - 2004 Update
Canadian governments work together to implement our obligations on international agreements on persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals. The purpose of the 2004 Update of the Strategic Implementation Framework (the Framework) is to describe how Canada intends to implement its obligations under three multi-lateral international agreements on hazardous air pollutants (HAPs): i) the Stockholm Convention on POPs; and ii) the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and iii) Heavy Metals Protocols under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
Prepared by the National Air Issues Coordinating Committee (NAICC) for the Canadian Council of Environmental Ministers (CCME) Ministers, the Framework outlines the ways in which existing federal, provincial and territorial government policies and programs on air quality, toxic chemicals and pesticides meet Canada's international and multilateral commitments on HAPs. Implementing the Framework is intended to minimize overlap and duplication among the federal, provincial and territorial government programs for managing HAPs. The Framework is also designed to describe a comprehensive, nation-wide capability to address international commitments. Environment Canada has received permission from the CCME to post this document on its Clean Air Online Web site.
