Emerging organic contamination in China

• Published in: Chinese journal of geochemistry Vol. 25; no. B08; p. 1
• Main Author: Guibin JIANG Qinghua ZHANG Yawei WANG Hanxia LIU Chunyang LIUO Rui GUO
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: POPs; 有机污染
• ISSN: 1000-9426; 1993-0364

Persistent Organic Pollutants （POPs） have caused great public concern during the past decade. To address this global public concern, China joined international forces to sign a groundbreaking United Nations treaty in Stockholm, known as the Stockholm Convention. The Chinese Government agreed to reduce and eliminate the production, use or release of 12 key POPs. Because the convention specifies a scientific review process for all other compounds, the addition of other POPs of global concern to the list in the future is also possible. The most possible candidate compounds are some species used as polybrominated flame retardant and perfluronated compounds, called emerging chemicals. Most emerging chemicals are those with POP-like characteristics, they are persistent in the environment; travel over long distances via air and water; toxic and bioaccumulating in living things. Those chemicals pose an unacceptable threat to human health and the environment.