In addition to the POPs-related agreements the United States has taken part in signing, the United States has also provided ample financial and technical support to countries across the globe supporting POPs reduction.
The United States has also signed the regional protocol of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on POPs under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution which addresses the Stockholm Convention POPs and other chemicals. The United States and Canada signed an agreement for the Virtual Elimination of Persistent Toxic Substances in the Great Lakes to reduce emissions from toxic substances. In addition to assessing dioxins, EPA has also been working diligently on the reduction of DDT from global sources. For example, EPA and the states have significantly reduced the release of dioxins and furans to land, air, and water from U.S. Though the United States is not yet a Party to the Stockholm Convention, the Convention has played a prominent role in the control of harmful chemicals on both a national and global level. The Stockholm Convention adds an important global dimension to our national and regional efforts to control POPs. Although most developed nations have taken strong action to control POPs, a great number of developing nations have only fairly recently begun to restrict their production, use, and release. citizens and habitats can still be at risk from POPs that have persisted in the environment from unintentionally produced POPs that are released in the United States, from POPs that are released elsewhere and then transported here (by wind or water, for example), or from both. Many of the POPs included in the Stockholm Convention are no longer produced in this country. Since that time, other chemicals have been added to the Convention. NOTE: These are the chemicals initially addressed by the Stockholm Convention when negotiated. (For more information about the dirty dozen, see table below.) Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins²(dioxins)Ģ-Unintentionally Produced - Result from some industrial processes and combustion. Under the treaty, known as the Stockholm Convention, countries agreed to reduce or eliminate the production, use, and/or release of 12 key POPs (see box), and specified under the Convention a scientific review process that has led to the addition of other POPs chemicals of global concern. To address this global concern, the United States joined forces with 90 other countries and the European Community to sign a groundbreaking United Nations treaty in Stockholm, Sweden, in May 2001. They persist for long periods of time in the environment and can accumulate and pass from one species to the next through the food chain. Because they can be transported by wind and water, most POPs generated in one country can and do affect people and wildlife far from where they are used and released. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment around the world. What Has the United States Done to Address POPs Globally?.The Great Lakes: A Story of Trials and Triumphs.How Do POPs Affect People and Wildlife?.What Domestic Actions Have Been Taken to Control POPs?.This content was created in 2002 and updated in December 2009. In the Stockholm Convention, participating governments agreed to take actions to reduce or eliminate the production, use, and/or release of certain of these pollutants. The page explains the importance of the Stockholm Convention, a legally binding international agreement finalized in 2001. to describe the actions set into motion by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants to address this issue globally.