Editing Persistent organic pollutant (section)

{{redirect|POPs||Pops (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|Organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation}}
{{Pollution sidebar|Air}}

'''Persistent organic pollutants''' ('''POPs''') are [[organic compounds]] that are resistant to degradation through [[chemical decomposition|chemical]], [[biodegradation|biological]], and [[photolysis|photolytic]] processes.<ref name="ritter">{{cite web|title=Persistent organic pollutants|author=Ritter L|author2=Solomon KR|author3=Forget J|author4=Stemeroff M|author5=O'Leary C.|url=http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/ritter/en/ritteren.pdf|publisher=[[United Nations Environment Programme]]|access-date=2007-09-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926101350/http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/ritter/en/ritteren.pdf|archive-date=2007-09-26}}</ref> They are toxic and adversely affect human health and the environment around the world.<ref name="ritter" /> Because they can be transported [[air pollution|by wind]] and water, most POPs generated in one country can and do affect people and wildlife far from where they are used and released.

The effect of POPs on human and environmental health was discussed, with intention to eliminate or severely restrict their production, by the international community at the [[Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants]] in 2001.

Most POPs are [[pesticide]]s or [[insecticide]]s, and some are also [[solvent]]s, [[pharmaceutical]]s, and industrial chemicals.<ref name="ritter" /> Although some POPs arise naturally (e.g. from volcanoes), most are man-made.<ref name="El-Shahawi, M.S. 2010">{{cite journal |last1=El-Shahawi |first1=M.S. |last2=Hamza |first2=A. |last3=Bashammakh |first3=A.S. |last4=Al-Saggaf |first4=W.T. |title=An overview on the accumulation, distribution, transformations, toxicity and analytical methods for the monitoring of persistent organic pollutants |journal=Talanta |date=15 March 2010 |volume=80 |issue=5 |pages=1587–1597 |doi=10.1016/j.talanta.2009.09.055 |pmid=20152382}}</ref> The "dirty dozen" POPs identified by the Stockholm Convention include [[aldrin]], [[chlordane]], [[dieldrin]], [[endrin]], [[heptachlor]], [[Hexachlorobenzene|HCB]], [[mirex]], [[toxaphene]], [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCBs]], [[DDT]], [[Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds|dioxins]], and [[polychlorinated dibenzofurans]]. However, there have since been many new POPs added (e.g. [[PFOS]]).