Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Related Chemicals in the Global Environment: Some Personal Reflections

Abstract

What are POPs and why are they interesting and important?In this article, I have been given the chance to 'tell the story' of POPs, through personal reflections on how the field has developed. I hope I can do that by conveying some of the sense of excitement, interest and importance for the environment and society that motivated me as a young research scientist and reflect on some of the ongoing needs and priorities for the environmental chemistry and chemicals management fields.Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and related chemicals are fascinating, because of their combination of physical-chemical properties and complex effects. 1 Most are man-made, but some also have natural origins. They are persistent in the environment -but can be broken down -variously by biodegradation, atmospheric reactions, and abiotic transformations. They can exist in the gas or particle phases -or both -in the atmosphere, and in the dissolved or particulate phases -or both -in water. These combinations mean that they may undergo long-range transport in the atmosphere or oceans, or they may stay close to sources. Hence, emissions from one country are frequently a source of contamination to another country. They are also usually lipophilic, so -combined with persistence -this means they can accumulate in organisms and bio-magnify through food chains. We all have a baseline of POPs residues in our tissues -even the unborn foetus via placental transfer and the newly born baby via mother's milk. POPs in biological systems occur in mixtures, so confirming effects caused by POPs on humans and other top predators is never straightforward. Depending on which papers you read, POPs may be relatively benign, or they could be responsible for key sub-chronic and chronic

An Intelligent Data Analysis System Combining ARIMA and LSTM for Persistent Organic Pollutants Concentration Prediction

“…Dien et al [20] performed a large scale of panel data analysis of POPs in the air in Japan and found numerous external factors affecting POPs distribution. In addition, some scholars have done lots of analysis and researches on other characteristics of POPs [29,30].…”

Legacy and new chlorinated persistent organic pollutants in the rivers of south India: Occurrences, sources, variations before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are of major concern for public health owing to their persistence, carcinogenicity, bioaccumulation, and the ability for long-range atmospheric transport ( Jones, 2021 , Lohmann et al, 2007 ). As a consequence of the ubiquitous presence and harmful ecological impacts, several pesticidal POPs such as α , β - and γ -hexacholorocyclohexane isomers (HCH), Lindane (>99% γ -HCH) and endosulfan in the pre-existing list of the “dirty dozen” are included under the category of new POPs by the Stockholm Convention ( UNEP, 2001 , UNEP, 2008 , UNEP, 2011 ).…”

Exploring the association of organochlorine pesticides exposure and hearing impairment in United States adults

“…Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are persistent organic environmental pollutants that bioaccumulate in food chains. Although some OCPs have been banned or restricted for decades, their extensive usage, long half-lives, and bioaccumulation still affect human health 3 . Previous studies have shown that OCPs may cause immune dysfunction, endocrine disruption, neurobehavioral and cognitive impairment, and may have chronic effects on reproductive potential, as carcinogens 4 – 8 .…”