Fishing Link

 
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
POPs are toxic substances composed of organic (carbon-based) chemical compounds and mixtures having the ability to bioaccumulate in fish and wildlife. They include industrial chemicals like PCBs and pesticides like DDT. They are primarily products and by-products from industrial processes, chemical manufacturing and resulting wastes. The existence of POPs is relatively recent, dating to the boom in industrial production after World War II. POPs pose a particular hazard because of four characteristics: they are toxic; they are persistent, resisting normal processes that break down contaminants; they accumulate in the body fat of people, marine mammals, and other animals and are passed from mother to fetus; and they can travel great distances on wind and water currents. Even small quantities of POPs can wreak havoc in human and animal tissue, causing nervous system damage, diseases of the immune system, reproductive and developmental disorders, and cancers. POPs are identified for priority action and are targeted by international treaty. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is working to phase out and eliminate the production and use of those chemicals. The treaty summary for the removal of these contaminants is here.



Legal Stuff

The contents of this site in no way represent the policies, views, or attitudes of the linked sites, except as otherwise noted on those linked sites. Users of this Web site may cite or link to information on this site provided they do so in a manner which clearly identifies it as the secondary source where appropriate. Links made to referenced sites will generally open new windows. Some sites or publications containing fluid data may be quoted or, where allowed, copied locally.