Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Highly toxic chemicals – Pesticides – Industrial chemicals – Unwanted industrial by-products that are harmful to humans and the environment Estimated that 400 million tons are produced annually worldwide The “dirty dozen”  aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, dioxins, furans, endrin, HCB, heptachlor, mirex, PCBs, toxaphene Stored in fat and are persistent 1

Persistent Organic Pollutants, POPs Stockholm Convention on POPs: The Convention represents a global response to the issue of POPs The goal of the Convention is to protect human health and the environment from POPs The Convention initially focuses on the twelve most dangerous POPs - the “Dirty Dozen”

Persistent Organic Pollutants, POPs The “Dirty Dozen” 1.Aldrin2.Chlordane 3.Dieldrin 4.Endrin 5.Heptachlor 6.Hexachlorobenzene 7.Mirex 8.Toxaphene 9.DDT 10.Polychlorinated byphenyls (PCBs) 11. Dioxin 12.Furans

Characteristics of POPs Persistence – POPs resist degradation in air, water, sediments, and organisms for months to decades Bio-accumulation – ability to accumulate in living tissues at levels higher than those in the surrounding environment; Potential for long-range transport – potential to travel great distances through various media (air, water, migratory species).

Effects of POPs on human & ecosystem health: Damage to the nervous system Birth defects Damage to the immune system Disrupt endocrine systems Induce reproductive and developmental changes

Principal sectoral sources of POPS: Hospital industry (local incineration/plastic) Hazardous waste incinerators Cement kilns burning hazardous wastes Chemical waste – by-products Electricity distribution Pesticides (9 of 12) Secondary smelting Pulp and paper (e.g. chlorine bleaching) Automobiles – chlorinated scavengers in leaded gas burn to produce dioxin; 2-stroke motors blend synthetic oils with various chlorinated compounds.

POPs & Food Safety Plants and animals are exposed to contaminants that accumulate in the environment Pollutants move from soil and water into plants, and from there into animals For Example – the diet of carnivores (and humans) in the Arctic involves the consumption of species high up in the food chain  This results in a higher chance of poisoning Feeding on caribou vs. marine mammals exposes humans to different levels of contaminants 7

Concepts Bioaccumulation The process by which a contaminant accumulates in the tissues of an individual organism E.g. certain chemicals in food eaten by a fish tend to accumulate in its liver and other tissues – the chemicals are taken in faster than the individual can get rid of them – PCBs are stored in fat – Cadmium is stored in the kidneys – Mercury is stored in the liver 8

Concepts Biomagnification Increase in concentration of certain stable chemicals (for example, heavy metals or fat-soluble pesticides) in successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web. E.g. metals such as mercury, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs, pesticides, dioxins Note: Not all contaminants biomagnify 9

Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification 10

An extra link, on top of an already long food chain 11

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) PCBs biomagnify At low level in food  can affect the reproductive system and thyroid, may damage the immune and nervous system Prenatal infants exposed to PCBs tend to have a higher incidence of upper respiratory-tract infections Suspected to cause liver, skin, and intestinal cancers 12

Non-POP Contamination: Heavy Metals Minerals that are naturally present in rocks and soils in all parts of the world, including the bed rock and unconsolidated material of the Canadian Arctic E.g. mercury, cadmium, lead Cadmium and mercury are released as a by- product of mining and smelting  primary long- range transport is through the atmosphere Significant quantities of mercury are also released as a result of the erosive and chemical actions that take place in reservoirs built to store water for large hydro-electric projects Metal levels are highest in people who eat large amounts of organ meat 13

Example: Mercury Mercury is a natural element that occurs in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the Arctic Atmospherically deposited mercury is emitted from sources such as coal-fired electric utilities and waste incinerators in the south Global levels of atmospheric mercury are increasing each year 14

Mercury Major source of mercury is through meat, in the form of methyl mercury Highest in people who eat a lot of marine food Methyl mercury is easily taken up through the intestinal wall Major health concern is damage to the brain and nervous system, may also affect the immune system Methyl mercury easily passes through the placenta and can affect the fetus  may cause neurological damage 15

Case Study: James Bay Project The construction of a series of hydroelectric power stations on the La Grande River in northwestern Québec One of the largest hydroelectric systems in the world Installed generating capacity of 16,000 megawatts  3x more power than the power station at Niagara Falls! 16

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James Bay Project 1971: plans unveiled for the construction of several large hydroelectric power stations on the rivers flowing into James Bay Environmental assessments were not required under Québec law at the time Strong opposition to the project by the Crees of James Bay, the Inuit to the north, and several environmental groups – They believed the government was violating treaties and committing unlawful expropriation and destruction of traditional hunting and trapping lands – The Cree and Inuit were not informed of the project until after the construction of access roads had begun 19

James Bay Project 1975: the governments of Canada and Québec signed the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement with the Cree and Inuit – Granted exclusive hunting and fishing rights to ~170,000 km 2 of territory and 250 million dollars in financial compensation in return for the right to develop the project 20

James Bay Project: Environmental Impact Caniapiscau and Eastmain rivers were diverted into La Grande River watershed 11,000 km 2 of Boreal forest was submerged Flow of La Grande River doubled 21

La Grande Rivière 22

James Bay Project: Mercury Before the project, local levels of mercury in lakes and rivers were high due to atmospheric pollution and the natural geology of the region When a reservoir is created the existing vegetation and soil is submerged, causing it to decompose and deplete oxygen from the water supply Mercury that exists in a harmless inorganic form in the soil may be transformed by bacteria into methyl mercury once the soil is flooded The toxic methyl mercury is lethal to the fish and can be absorbed and passed up the food chain 23

James Bay Project: Mercury Mercury concentrations in benthic insects, fish (which feed on benthic insects), and nestling tree swallows (which feed on fish) increased after flooding Many native people in villages where fish are a main component of the diet have shown symptoms of mercury poisoning Mercury concentrations in fishery resources of reservoirs may remain substantially elevated for decades after flooding 24

Mercury in fish in La Grande 2 reservoir 25

Mercury in Maternal Blood RegionMicro-grams mercury/liter whole blood West. NWT1.7 N-central NWT3.5 Nunavik (N. Québec)13.7 NW Greenland19.8 N Sweden1.6 N Norway2.3 Iceland2.9 Nikel, Russia2.3 26

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants: Example of Implementation (India) Adopted in Stockholm on 22 May Signatories; 118 Parties Entered into force on 17 May 2004 Entered into force for India on 13April

Stockholm Convention: Provisions Main areas of Convention: – Control provisions: Intentionally Produced POPs Unintentionally Produced POPs Stockpiles and Wastes – General obligations 28

General Obligations NIPs (National Implementation Plans) National Focal Point Review and update plan Promote public information, awareness and education Encourage research, development, monitoring and cooperation Report to the COP 29

Appendix – Extra Case Study: POPs in India 30

POPs Status in India Chemical Category Current status in India Aldrin Pesticide Banned Chlordane Pesticide Banned DDT Pesticide Banned (with restricted use) Dieldrin Pesticide Banned Endrin Pesticide Banned Hepachlor Pesticide Banned Hexachloro Pesticide/industrial Never registered benzene for use in India as pesticide pesticide Mirex Pesticide Not registered 31

POPs Status in India (contd.) Toxaphene Pesticide Banned PCBs Industrial Never manufactured Dioxins By-product Unintentional by-product Furans By-product Unintentional by-product 32

INDIA’S CONCERNS Lack of proper inventorization of POPs Lack of inventorisation of PCBs and PCB containing equipments Lack of inventories of sources and estimates of releases of dioxins and furans Identification of stockpiles Identification of contaminated sites Disposal of obsolete stockpiles of pesticides. Lack of awareness Inadequate backup lab facility Capacity building Availability of technical and financial resources vital to meet obligations 33

ACTIONS - PESTICIDES Establishment of Inventory of POPs pesticides Identification of stockpiles of obsolete stocks Inventorization of contaminated sites Disposal of obsolete pesticides. Raising awareness Capacity building 34

ACTIONS - DDT Establishment of inventory Development of reduction and phase out strategies Develop & test cost effective alternatives to DDT Establish inventory of stockpiles Increase general awareness Capacity building 35

ACTIONS - PCBs Develop sector wise inventories of PCBs and PCB containing equipments. Identification of sites with transformer oils with high concentration of PCBs Develop a management plan for removal, storage & destruction Upgrade analytical facilities Develop standards for safe handling Raising awareness 36

ACTIONS – DIOXINS & FURANS Systematic inventorisation of dioxins/ furans Qualitative identification of sources of dioxins/furans available from some major industrial sectors Strengthening of analytical facilities Comprehensive monitoring of the sources Raising awareness Enforcement of regulatory standards Development and adoption of BAT and BEP for cleaner production 37

The National Implementation Plan (NIP) Implementation strategy a. POPs pesticides including DDT b. PCBs and PCB containing equipments management c. Dioxins and Furans management d. Management of stockpiles and wastes including contaminated sites 38