{"id":15047,"date":"2021-01-29T13:58:13","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T12:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/?p=15047"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:42:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:42:25","slug":"pop-list-persistent-organic-pollutants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/pop-list-persistent-organic-pollutants\/","title":{"rendered":"The POP List: Persistent Organic Pollutants"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-white ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/pop-list-persistent-organic-pollutants\/#A_Global_Problem_for_Humans_and_Nature\" title=\"A Global Problem for Humans and Nature\">A Global Problem for Humans and Nature<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/pop-list-persistent-organic-pollutants\/#International_POP_Convention\" title=\"International POP Convention\">International POP Convention<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/pop-list-persistent-organic-pollutants\/#Relevant_EU_Regulations\" title=\"Relevant EU Regulations\">Relevant EU Regulations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/pop-list-persistent-organic-pollutants\/#%E2%80%A6_and_What_Comes_Next\" title=\"\u2026 and What Comes Next?\">\u2026 and What Comes Next?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color\">Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)<\/span> are organic compounds that are harmful to humans and animals and degrade only very slowly in the environment. They contaminate air, soil and water and can enter the food chain. When consuming foods contaminated with these compounds, POPs can enter the body, accumulate in adipose tissue and trigger health problems. With the \u201cStockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants\u201d (the Stockholm Convention), international restrictions on the manufacture, use and release of organic pollutants were established for the first time in 2004. Since then, follow-up conferences have been held every two years at which the contracting parties decide on the inclusion of additional chemicals in the POP list.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Global_Problem_for_Humans_and_Nature\"><\/span>A Global Problem for Humans and Nature<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Persistent organic pollutants are problematic substances that are broken down only very slowly by natural processes and can remain in the environment for decades. They spread through the atmosphere and accumulate in soils, eventually reaching our water reservoirs. In addition, they can be adsorbed by suspended matter and accumulate in sediments. In this way, they can enter our bodies through the air we breathe and the food we consume. This is known as bioaccumulation. As the concentration of these substances in the body increases, harmful effects become more likely.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15095\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15095\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15095\" title=\"The graphic shows the residence time at which a pollutant is classified as persistent under the Stockholm Convention\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Persistente_Organic_Pollutants-2.jpg\" alt=\"The graphic shows the residence time at which a pollutant is classified as persistent under the Stockholm Convention\" width=\"330\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Persistente_Organic_Pollutants-2.jpg 429w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Persistente_Organic_Pollutants-2-201x300.jpg 201w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15095\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The graphic shows the residence time at which a pollutant is classified as persistent under the Stockholm Convention<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many products we use every day often contain POPs. Substances used to improve product performance are not always recognised as pollutants at first. Human exposure to these mostly genotoxic compounds can increase cancer risk and lead to neurologically induced behavioural disorders, reproductive disorders, a rise in birth defects and miscarriages, as well as pathological changes to the immune system. Recently, Korean scientists reported that children with pronounced obesity respond more strongly to chemical influences than non-obese children from comparable groups. In particular, the likelihood of an earlier onset of puberty is increased in these cases.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"International_POP_Convention\"><\/span>International POP Convention<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Persistent pollutants cross borders and travel far from their sources, reaching regions where they have neither been used nor ever produced. They therefore affect ecosystems worldwide, the environment, nature and human health.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The original list of substances under the Stockholm Convention comprised twelve persistent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/tubes-hoses\/application-fields-for-tubings\/chemical-hoses\">chemicals<\/a> and was divided into three categories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pesticides: Aldrin, Chlordane, Dieldrin, DDT, Endrin, Heptachlor, Hexachlorobenzene, Mirex, Toxaphene<\/li>\n<li>Industrial chemicals: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)<\/li>\n<li>Industrial by-products: Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Subsequently, the manufacture and use of further substances, such as DDT, were significantly restricted, and the manufacture and use of several other chemicals, such as the insecticide Aldrin and polychlorinated biphenyls, of which 209 congeners exist, were already completely banned.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6119\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6119\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6119\" title=\"A U.S. soldier being treated with the insecticide DDT during the Second World War\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Ein-US-Soldat-wird-zur-Zeit-des-Zweiten-Weltkriegs-mit-dem-Insektizid-DDT-behandelt.jpg\" alt=\"A U.S. soldier being treated with the insecticide DDT during the Second World War\" width=\"330\" height=\"407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Ein-US-Soldat-wird-zur-Zeit-des-Zweiten-Weltkriegs-mit-dem-Insektizid-DDT-behandelt.jpg 389w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Ein-US-Soldat-wird-zur-Zeit-des-Zweiten-Weltkriegs-mit-dem-Insektizid-DDT-behandelt-243x300.jpg 243w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6119\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A U.S. soldier being treated with the insecticide DDT during the Second World War<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly stable chemicals, that were used in a wide range of industrial and consumer goods until the 1980s as plasticisers for plastics and paints, but also as hydraulic fluids, insulating oils in high-voltage transformers and as puncture-resistant dielectrics in electrolytic capacitors. The latter were installed in every radio and television set of the time. PCBs, however, are carcinogenic, affect the immune system and accumulate in human adipose tissue and breast milk. Studies have shown that neurological developmental disorders in children are likely to occur even at low levels of PCB exposure.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15075\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15075\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15075\" title=\"Distribution of the total 14,500 tonnes of DDT used in U.S. agriculture in 1963\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/DDT_Landwirtschaft_USA_1963-ChatGPT.jpg\" alt=\"Distribution of the total 14,500 tonnes of DDT used in U.S. agriculture in 1963\" width=\"400\" height=\"249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/DDT_Landwirtschaft_USA_1963-ChatGPT.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/DDT_Landwirtschaft_USA_1963-ChatGPT-300x186.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/DDT_Landwirtschaft_USA_1963-ChatGPT-768x477.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15075\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Distribution of the total 14,500 tonnes of DDT used in U.S. agriculture in 1963<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Relevant_EU_Regulations\"><\/span>Relevant EU Regulations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In April 2004, EU Regulation (EC) No. 850\/2004 (the EU POP Regulation) set out detailed requirements for the manufacture, use and limitation of persistent organic pollutants. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), based in Helsinki and responsible for the enforcement of the EU Regulation, specified special implementing provisions in four annexes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Annex I concerns the prohibition of manufacture, placing on the market and use of persistent organic pollutants, with specific exemptions;<\/li>\n<li>Annex II concerns restrictions on the manufacture, placing on the market and use of persistent organic pollutants;<\/li>\n<li>Annex III concerns the regulation of the release of small quantities of persistent organic pollutants;<\/li>\n<li>Annex IV sets out provisions for handling persistent organic pollutants within the framework of waste management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The <strong>Stockholm Convention<\/strong> lists POPs in three annexes that are constantly updated and supplemented:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Annex A comprises chemicals whose manufacture and use are prohibited<\/li>\n<li>Annex B comprises chemicals whose manufacture and use are permitted only under restrictions<\/li>\n<li>Annex C comprises chemicals that arise as unintentional by-products of chemical production processes or in incineration plants and must be minimised or entirely avoided through process modifications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Germany, the competent authority for monitoring compliance with the POP Regulation is the Federal Office for Chemicals (BfC) of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA). The German Environment Agency (UBA) also performs certain tasks at national and international level within the scope of these regulations.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/laboratory-equipment\/protection-and-packaging\/accessories\/30040\/disposal-bag-made-of-pp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6141 size-full\" title=\"Disposal bags made of PP\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/entsorgungsbeutel-aus-pp.jpg\" alt=\"Disposal bags made of PP\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/entsorgungsbeutel-aus-pp.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/entsorgungsbeutel-aus-pp-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6142 size-full\" title=\"Chemical spill kit\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/chemikalien-verschuett-kit.jpg\" alt=\"Chemical spill kit\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/chemikalien-verschuett-kit.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/chemikalien-verschuett-kit-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As part of the POP Convention, further chemicals were added to the POP list in 2009, primarily pesticides and insecticides: pentachlorobenzene, gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (\u03b3-HCH), \u03b1- and \u03b2-hexachlorocyclohexane, and chlordecone. In addition, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and its salts, which were used as surfactants, as well as tetra-, penta-, hexa- and hepta-bromobiphenyls, which, like PCBs, were used as plasticisers and flame retardants, were included.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6124\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6124\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6124\" title=\"Capacitor containing PCBs (GDR, approx. 1979)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/PCB-haltiger-Kondensator-DDR-Baujahr-ca-1979.jpg\" alt=\"Capacitor containing PCBs (GDR, approx. 1979)\" width=\"200\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/PCB-haltiger-Kondensator-DDR-Baujahr-ca-1979.jpg 243w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/PCB-haltiger-Kondensator-DDR-Baujahr-ca-1979-122x300.jpg 122w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6124\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Capacitor containing PCBs (GDR, approx. 1979)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2011, endosulfan, a neurotoxic insecticide, was added, and in 2013 hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). The latter was used mainly as an additive flame retardant for rigid polystyrene foams in the construction sector and in the furniture industry and thus found widespread use in people\u2019s immediate living environments. HBCD degrades only slowly under environmental conditions and, as a bioaccumulative substance, can also enter our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/tubes-hoses\/application-fields-for-tubings\/food-hoses\">food<\/a> via many pathways. As animal studies demonstrated damage to embryonic and infant development, the precautionary inclusion of HBCD in the POP list and therefore the general prohibition of its manufacture and use was a necessary decision.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/laboratory-equipment\/laboratory-containers\/bottles-carboys-and-accessories\/29666\/narrow-neck-high-shoulder-bottle-made-of-ldpe\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6145 size-full\" title=\"Narrow-Neck High Shoulder Bottle made of LDPE\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/enghals-hochschulterflasche-aus-ldpe.jpg\" alt=\"Narrow-Neck High Shoulder Bottle made of LDPE\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/enghals-hochschulterflasche-aus-ldpe.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/enghals-hochschulterflasche-aus-ldpe-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/laboratory-equipment\/protection-and-packaging\/accessories\/30059\/eye-wash-station\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6146 size-full\" title=\"Eye Wash Station\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/augenwaschstation.jpg\" alt=\"Eye Wash Station\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/augenwaschstation.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/augenwaschstation-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2015, three further chemicals were added to the POP list: pentachlorophenol (PCP), its salts and esters; polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), which act as fungicides and were used in wood preservatives; and hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), a biocide used predominantly in industrial water reservoirs and cooling-water systems to prevent algal growth. In 2017, the list was expanded to include decabromodiphenyl ether, a flame retardant, and in 2019 finally perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a perfluorinated, bioaccumulative surfactant attributed with hepatotoxic and carcinogenic properties.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Further chemicals are currently under discussion and are being reviewed for inclusion in the POP list. These include<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dechlorane Plus (DDC-CO), a flame retardant<\/li>\n<li>Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) and its salts, still used as technical surfactants<\/li>\n<li>Methoxychlor (DMDT), a plant protection product chemically related to DDT<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In July 2019, EU Regulation (EC) No. 850\/2004 was replaced by EU Regulation 2019\/1021.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%A6_and_What_Comes_Next\"><\/span>\u2026 and What Comes Next?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To date, 183 of the 193 UN member states have acceded to the \u201cStockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants\u201d of 2004. Almost all states have thus committed themselves not only to strictly monitoring the manufacture, use and effects of chemicals, but also to helping prevent the release of persistent toxic and hazardous substances into the environment.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/laboratory-equipment\/laboratory-containers\/bottles-carboys-and-accessories\/29678\/poison-bottle-made-of-hdpe\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6149 size-full\" title=\"Poison Bottle made of HDPE\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gift-flasche-aus-hdpe.jpg\" alt=\"Poison Bottle made of HDPE\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gift-flasche-aus-hdpe.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gift-flasche-aus-hdpe-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/tubes-hoses\/tubings-and-pipes-made-of-rigid-plastics\/ptfe-tubing\/28770\/ptfe-chemical-tubing-standard\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6150 size-full\" title=\"PTFE Chemical Tubing - standard\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/ptfe-chemieschlauch-standard.jpg\" alt=\"PTFE Chemical Tubing - standard\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/ptfe-chemieschlauch-standard.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/ptfe-chemieschlauch-standard-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The majority of chemicals synthesised and known to date are organic compounds. Their number has long exceeded the 100-million mark and new ones are added every day. However, the effects of only a few of these substances on humans and the environment are sufficiently well known. Even substances such as polychlorinated biphenyls, which, due to many favourable properties, were produced on an industrial scale from 1929 and saw worldwide application, were recognised as chronically toxic chemicals only decades later, in the 1980s. The long-standing, careless handling of this supposedly harmless chemical has led to global PCB contamination, the consequences of which for subsequent generations are still not reliably foreseeable. May the signatories of the Stockholm Convention do everything to ensure that future hazards to humankind from insufficiently tested synthetic chemical products are safely ruled out.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<pre>Image sources:\r\nCover image | \u00a9 pongmoji \u2013 stock.adobe.com\r\nGraphic: When are chemicals considered persistent? | \u00a9 Geografik \u2013 de.wikipedia.org\r\nDiagram: Distribution of a total of 14,500 tonnes of DDT used in U.S. agriculture in 1963 | \u00a9 Blech \u2013 de.wikipedia.org<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are harmful to humans and animals and degrade only very slowly in the environment. They contaminate air, soil and water and can enter the food chain. When consuming foods contaminated with these compounds, POPs can enter the body, accumulate in adipose tissue and trigger health problems. With &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":12460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3028,2748,3029],"tags":[3487,3485,3486,3494,3488,3484,2947,3490,3491,2948,3435,3492,3489,3495,3493,2774,2775],"class_list":["post-15047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-all-articles","category-alle-beitraege-en","category-materials-in-chemistry","category-werkstoffe-in-der-chemie-en","tag-chemical-spill-kit","tag-chemical-tubing","tag-chemicals","tag-ddt-en","tag-disposal-bag","tag-eye-wash-station","tag-hdpe-en","tag-high-shoulder-bottle","tag-insecticide","tag-ldpe-en","tag-narrow-neck","tag-persistent-organic-pollutants","tag-poison-bottle","tag-pop-en","tag-pop-list","tag-pp-en","tag-ptfe-en"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The POP List \u2013 RCT Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"POP List: What Are Persistent Organic Pollutants? 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