ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

CASE STUDY #9: PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS

Name:
Manglo, John Andrae B.

The Stockholm Convention is an international treaty that aims to protect human health and the environment from Persistent
Organic Pollutants. Compare and contrast the classes of compounds identified as part of the “Dirty Dozen”.

The 12 Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

The Stockholm Convention is an international environmental treaty which aims to protect human health and the
environment against the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The convention became official and entered force on
May 2004. POPs are group of toxic chemical that can be intentionally produced for agricultural, disease and pest
control, industrial and manufacturing purposes but don’t break down easily in the environment enabling it to travel
around the region or even around the world. Originally, there are 12 common POPs that were regulated, restricted
and banned in different countries, called as “Dirty Dozen” and eventually other compounds were considered to be
POPs. The Dirty Dozen includes aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, dioxins, endrin, furans, heptachlor,
hexachlorobenzene, mirex, PCBs, and toxaphene.
This table will compare and contrast the classes of compounds identified as part of the “Dirty Dozen”
POP Main Source Main Health Impact Structure and Stockholm
color Convention
aldrin Insecticide Seizures colorless solid 2004
compound
chlordane Pesticide Seizures; Bronchitis; Colorless, 2004
sinusitis; vomiting; viscous liquid
diarrhea; Anemia;
Immune dysfunction
DDT Pesticide Seizures; premature Colorless crystal 2004
(dichlorodiphenyl labor; endocrine
trichloroethane) disruption; cancer
dieldrin Insecticide Anemia colorless or very 2004
light in color
solid crystals
dioxins By product of chlorine Chloracne crystals or a 2004
colorless solid

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 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

endrin Pesticide Seizures; White or light 2004

degenerative color crystalline
neurological
disorders
furans Bleaching by paper mill; Cancer, infertility Colorless 2004
combustion; herbicide volatile liquid
(Agent orange)
heptachlor Pesticide Reproductive White or light 2004
toxicity; liver color crystalline
dysfunction
hexachlorobenzene Fungicide; additive to Reproductive White or light 2004
fireworks, ammunition toxicity; birth color crystalline
& synthetic rubber defects
mirex Pesticide; fire retardant Kidney & liver White or light 2004
dysfunction; color crystalline
reproductive toxicity
PCBs Insulating fluid; paint Skin diseases; oily liquids or 2004
(Polychlorinated additive; lubricant depression; anemia; solids, clear to
biphenyls) yellow in color
endocrine
disruption; liver
cancer
toxaphene Pesticide Seizures; a yellow to 2004
immunodeficiency; amber waxy
liver dysfunction; solid

renal failure; thyroid

cancer

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