Stockholm Convention
Encyclopedia
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international environmental
treaty
, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants
(POPs).
(UNEP) called for global action to be taken on POPs, which it defined as "chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate
through the food web
, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment".
Following this, the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the International Programme on Chemical Safety
(IPCS) prepared an assessment of the 12 worst offenders, known as the dirty dozen.
The negotiations for the Convention were completed on 23 May 2001 in Stockholm
. The convention entered into force on 17 May 2004 with ratification
by an initial 128 parties and 151 signatories. Co-signatories agree to outlaw nine of the dirty dozen chemicals, limit the use of DDT
to malaria
control, and curtail inadvertent production of dioxins and furans.
Parties to the convention have agreed to a process by which persistent toxic compounds can be reviewed and added to the convention, if they meet certain criteria for persistence and transboundary threat. The first set of new chemicals to be added to the Convention were agreed at a conference in Geneva
on 8 May 2009.
As of April, 2011, there are 173 parties to the Convention.
Added by the Fourth Conference of Parties, May 2009: These modifications has come into force on 26 August 2010, except for countries that submit a notification pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 3(b) of Article 22.
es (the malaria vector). From a developing country perspective, a lack of data and information about the sources, releases, and environmental levels of POPs hampers negotiations on specific compounds, and indicates a strong need for research.
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants
Persistent organic pollutant
thumb|right|275px|State parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic PollutantsPersistent organic pollutants are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes...
(POPs).
History
In 1995, the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment ProgrammeUnited Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...
(UNEP) called for global action to be taken on POPs, which it defined as "chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate
Bioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other organic chemicals in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a toxic substance at a rate greater than that at which the substance is lost...
through the food web
Food web
A food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...
, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment".
Following this, the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the International Programme on Chemical Safety
International Programme on Chemical Safety
The International Programme on Chemical Safety was formed in 1980 and is a collaboration between three United Nations bodies—the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme to establish the scientific basis for safe use of...
(IPCS) prepared an assessment of the 12 worst offenders, known as the dirty dozen.
The negotiations for the Convention were completed on 23 May 2001 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. The convention entered into force on 17 May 2004 with ratification
Ratification
Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent where the agent lacked authority to legally bind the principal. The term applies to private contract law, international treaties, and constitutionals in federations such as the United States and Canada.- Private law :In contract law, the...
by an initial 128 parties and 151 signatories. Co-signatories agree to outlaw nine of the dirty dozen chemicals, limit the use of DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
to malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
control, and curtail inadvertent production of dioxins and furans.
Parties to the convention have agreed to a process by which persistent toxic compounds can be reviewed and added to the convention, if they meet certain criteria for persistence and transboundary threat. The first set of new chemicals to be added to the Convention were agreed at a conference in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
on 8 May 2009.
As of April, 2011, there are 173 parties to the Convention.
Listed substances
There were initially twelve distinct chemicals listed in three categories. Two chemicals, hexachlorobenzene and polychlorinated biphenyls, were listed in both categories A and C.| Annex | Name | CAS Number | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Elimination | Aldrin Aldrin Aldrin is an organochlorine insecticide that was widely used until the 1970s, when it was banned in most countries. It is a colourless solid. Before the ban, it was heavily used as a pesticide to treat seed and soil... |
309-00-2 | Production none Use as a local ectoparasiticide and insecticide |
| A. Elimination | Chlordane Chlordane Chlordane, or chlordan, is an organochlorine compound that was used as a pesticide. This white solid was sold in the U.S. until 1983 as an insecticide for crops like corn and citrus and on lawns and domestic gardens.-Production and uses:... |
57-74-9 | Production by registered parties Use as a local ectoparasiticide Ectoparasiticide An ectoparasiticide is an antiparasitic drug used in the treatment of ectoparasitic infestations.An example is lindane.... , insecticide, termiticide (including in buildings, dams and roads) and as an additive in plywood adhesives |
| A. Elimination | Dieldrin Dieldrin Dieldrin is a chlorinated hydrocarbon originally produced in 1948 by J. Hyman & Co, Denver, as an insecticide. Dieldrin is closely related to aldrin, which reacts further to form dieldrin. Aldrin is not toxic to insects; it is oxidized in the insect to form dieldrin which is the active compound... |
60-57-1 | Production none Use in agricultural operations |
| A. Elimination | Endrin Endrin Endrin is an organochloride that was primarily used as an insecticide. It is a colourless odorless solid, although commercial samples are often off-white. It is also a rodenticide. This compound became infamous as persistent organic pollutant and for this reason is banned in many... |
72-20-8 | None |
| A. Elimination | Heptachlor Heptachlor Heptachlor is an organochlorine compound that was used as an insecticide. Usually sold as a white or tan powder, heptachlor is one of the cyclodiene insecticides. In 1962, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring questioned the safety of heptachlor and other chlorinated insecticides. Due to its highly... |
76-44-8 | Production none Use as a termiticide (including in the structure of houses and underground), for organic treatment and in underground cable boxes |
| A. Elimination | Hexachlorobenzene Hexachlorobenzene Hexachlorobenzene, or perchlorobenzene, is a chlorocarbon with the molecular formula C6Cl6. It is a fungicide formerly used as a seed treatment, especially on wheat to control the fungal disease bunt... |
118-74-1 | Production by registered parties Use as a chemical intermediate and a solvent for pesticides |
| A. Elimination | Mirex Mirex Mirex is a chlorinated hydrocarbon that was commercialized as an insecticide and later banned because of its impact on the environment. This white crystalline odorless solid is a derivative of cyclopentadiene. It was popularized to control fire ants but by virtue of its chemical robustness and... |
2385-85-5 | Production by registered parties Use as a termiticide |
| A. Elimination | Toxaphene Toxaphene Toxaphene is an insecticide. It is a mixture of closely related substances whose use is now banned in most of the world due to concerns of toxicity.-Composition:... |
8001-35-2 | None |
| A. Elimination | Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) | various | Production none Use in accordance with part II of Annex A |
| B. Restriction | DDT DDT DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history.... |
50-29-3 | Disease vector control in accordance with Part II of Annex B Production and use as an intermediate in the production of dicofol and other compounds |
| C. Unintentional Production | Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins ("dioxins") and polychlorinated dibenzofurans Polychlorinated dibenzofurans Polychlorinated dibenzofurans are a group of halogenated organic compounds which are toxic environmental pollutants. They are known teratogens, mutagens, and suspected human carcinogens. PCDFs tend to co-occur with polychlorinated dibenzodioxins... |
various | |
| C. Unintentional Production | Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) | various | |
| C. Unintentional Production | Hexachlorobenzene Hexachlorobenzene Hexachlorobenzene, or perchlorobenzene, is a chlorocarbon with the molecular formula C6Cl6. It is a fungicide formerly used as a seed treatment, especially on wheat to control the fungal disease bunt... |
118-74-1 | |
Added by the Fourth Conference of Parties, May 2009: These modifications has come into force on 26 August 2010, except for countries that submit a notification pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 3(b) of Article 22.
| Annex | Name | CAS Number | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Elimination | α-Hexachlorocyclohexane Alpha-Hexachlorocyclohexane α-Hexachlorocyclohexane is an organochloride which is one of the isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane . It is a byproduct of the production of the insecticide lindane and it is typically still contained in commercial grade lindane used as insecticide. Lindane, however, has not been produced or... |
319-84-6 | None |
| A. Elimination | β-Hexachlorocyclohexane | 319-85-7 | None |
| A. Elimination | Chlordecone | 143-50-0 | None |
| A. Elimination | Hexabromobiphenyl | 36355-01-8 | None |
| A. Elimination | Hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether |
various | Production none Use recycling and reuse of articles containing these compounds |
| A. Elimination | Lindane Lindane Lindane, also known as gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane, , gammaxene, Gammallin and erroneously known as benzene hexachloride , is an organochlorine chemical variant of hexachlorocyclohexane that has been used both as an agricultural insecticide and as a pharmaceutical treatment for lice and... (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane ) |
58-89-9 | Production none Use Human health pharmaceutical for control of head lice and scabies as second line treatment |
| A. Elimination & C. Unintentional Production | Pentachlorobenzene Pentachlorobenzene Pentachlorobenzene is a chemical compound with the molecular formula C6HCl5 which is a chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbon. It consists of a benzene ring substituted with five chlorine atoms... |
608-93-5 | None |
| A. Elimination | Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether Pentabromodiphenyl ether Pentabromodiphenyl ether is a brominated flame retardant which belongs to the group of polybrominated diphenyl ethers... |
various | Production none Use recycling and reuse of articles containing these compounds |
| B. Restriction | Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride Perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride Perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride is a synthetic perfluorinated compound with a sulfonyl fluoride functional group. It is used to make perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and PFOS-based compounds... (PFOSF) |
various | Production for permitted uses Use various uses specified in part III of Annex B |
Controversies
Although some critics have alleged that the treaty is responsible for the continuing death toll from malaria, in reality the treaty specifically permits the public health use of DDT for the control of mosquitoMosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es (the malaria vector). From a developing country perspective, a lack of data and information about the sources, releases, and environmental levels of POPs hampers negotiations on specific compounds, and indicates a strong need for research.