POPs Regulation
The POPs Regulation bans or restricts the use of persistent organic pollutants in both chemical products and articles. POPs stand for Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic substances that
- persist in the environment
- accumulate in living organisms
- and pose a risk to our health and the environment.
They can be transported by air, water or migratory species across international borders, reaching regions where they have never been produced or used. International risk management is necessary as no region can manage the risks posed by these substances alone.
POPs are regulated worldwide by the Stockholm Convention and the Aarhus Protocol. These pieces of legislation have been implemented in the European Union by the POPs Regulation.
The POPs Regulation aims to protect human health and the environment with specific control measures that
- prohibit or severely restrict the production, placing on the market and use of POPs
- minimize the environmental release of POPs that are formed as industrial by-products
- make sure that stockpiles of restricted POPs are safely managed
- ensure the environmentally sound disposal of waste consisting of, or contaminated by POPs
Chemical substances that have been identified as POPs
- pesticides (such as DDT)
- industrial chemicals (such as polychlorinated biphenyls, which were widely used in electrical equipment)
- unintentional by-products formed during industrial processes, degradation or combustion (such as dioxins and furans)
Publication
POPs REGULATION 2019/1021
This Regulation is to protect human health and the environment from POPs by prohibiting, phasing out as soon as possible, or restricting the manufacturing, placing on the market and use of substances.
©European Commission
Document
Contacts
Stijn Steuperaert
Gent
Consultant environment and toxicology