POPs Effects Around the World

WHAT ON EARTH? Dita Smith 16dec00

Representatives from 122 countries last weekend agreed on the text of a treaty that would eventually ban the most hazardous toxic pollutants that scientists have linked to birth defects in humans and animals, to diseases and deaths. The 12 organic chemicals primarily targeted do not break down for years and circulate the globe in air and water and turn up even in pristine habitats far from the source of the pollution. The treaty will have to be ratified by 50 countries before it can go into effect, a process that could take several years.

Some examples of what pesticides and other chemicals have done to the environment:

BRITISH COLUMBIA: PCBs

Killer whales are among the most contaminated marine mammals in the world, carrying high levels of PCBs.

GREAT LAKES: PCBs

Researchers have documented learning and behavioral problems in children exposed prenatally to PCBs through mothers who ate lake fish.

FLORIDA: DDT,

dieldrin, chlordane

Male alligators have physical abnormalities and difficulty reproducing.

NORWAY: PCBs

May be weakening the immune function of Arctic polar bears.

RUSSIA: PCBs

High levels found in ecosystems and wildlife.

PAKISTAN: Dioxins

Incineration of medical waste is a significant source of dioxins and heavy metal emissions, contributing to birth defects, child- growth retardation and other problems.

JAPAN: Dioxins

High levels of dioxins were found in whale and dolphin meat sold here.

ETHIOPIA: Pesticide stockpiles

At least 250 sites contain more than 1,500 tons of obsolete pesticides, including aldrin, chlordane and DDT.

SOUTH AFRICA: Dioxins

Incineration of medical waste is a significant source of dioxins and heavy metal emissions. There are proposals to incinerate municipal and hazardous wastes as well.

MIDWAY ISLANDS, NORTH PACIFIC:

PCBs, dioxins, furans Albatrosses nesting thousands of miles from industrial areas show high levels of contaminants.

THE DIRTY DOZEN

Many countries already have banned or are restricting use of some of these toxins.

• Insecticides: Aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex, toxaphene
• Hexachlorobenzene (HCBs): Fungicide
• PCBs: Used in capacitors and transformers, and in hydraulic and heat transfer systems; also in carbonless copy paper, paint, adhesives
• Dioxins: Byproducts of combustion, especially plastics
• Furans: Byproducts, especially of PCB manufacturing often bonded to dioxins

SOURCES: World Wildlife Fund, World Watch Institute