Global Study Highlights Persistent Organic Pollutants in Environment and Humans Across 42 Countries
A recent study by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), sponsored by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), entitled “Detecting environmental POPs in 42 countries,” highlighted the impact of POPs on different environments and populations. It is as a result of this extensive research that one realizes that there is a need for more surveillance and gradual introduction of other chemicals in the market while at the same time improving on the existing regulatory measures with the aim of protecting human health and the environment.
Comprehensive Monitoring of POPs
The study, encompassing regions with historically limited data on POPs such as Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands, monitored 30 POPs listed under the Stockholm Convention as of 2021. These are pesticides, industrial chemicals, and incidental or accidental POPs resulting from industrial uses and the incomplete combustion of organic materials. The samples were taken between 2016 and 2019, generating over fifty thousand data points originating from over nine hundred samples of air, water, soil, food, and breast milk.
Among the relevant observations, the levels of twelve initially listed POPs have been decreasing all around the world, according to the results of the given study. HHS actions have resulted in reductions specifically to DDT, which declined 70% in human milk since 2004. However, among all the POPs, DDT has been found to be dominant in human milk, particularly in countries with a long history of usage.
Present Scenario
The study also confirmed that the POPs are still present in areas that are not near sources of pollution. Some of these include dieldrin, which was identified in high concentration in the air in Africa, the Caribbean and the Latin American region, as well as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that were also regulated under the Stockholm Convention. Also, the PFAS used as industry replacements were found in human milk and drinking water of isolated islands higher than the recommended limit by the European Union and the United States. These results show that POPs are not going away anytime soon and have a huge persistence with the ability to affect distant areas that were previously thought to be untouched.
The study also noted that there appear to be growing challenges in tracking recently listed POPs. Some limitations of the study include inadequate and inconsistent data collection, where more laboratories in low-income countries have participated, and the quality of POP analysis has to be upgraded continually. UNEP, on its part, remains dedicated to assisting governments in meeting these challenges, working hand in hand with industries, and determining essential domains for swift action to stop the jeopardy of water supplies.
Research and Highlights
This research highlights the fact that monitoring POPs in the environment should continue to assess the effectiveness of pollution reduction strategies and potential new impacts. UNEP plays a significant role in the said respect, particularly in the case of new emergent POPs that are likely to emerge and need to be banned. The study’s result arrives at a crucial time as the government representatives will convene in Geneva to discuss the formation of a science-policy panel on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention through an ad hoc open-ended working group.
Despite being banned in many countries, the existence of POPs presents a considerable threat to the overall human well-being and the ecosystem. Such chemicals may be persistent in the environment and take as long as three decades to decay and bioaccumulate in the food chain, posing risks to human and wildlife health. As stated by the authors of the study, this means that more effort needs to be directed towards limiting the public’s exposure to POPs through new and more stringent regulations and the identification of safer substances to be used in the manufacturing of consumer goods.
The study arranged by UNEP and financed by GEF studied POPs in different environments and human populations in 42 countries of the world, and the results again showed their constant existence. While there has been a decline in the levels of some of the POPs, the current status shows that there is still continuous contamination of some of the POPs and others that are not much researched; therefore, the importance of continued surveillance, gradual introduction of chemical substitutes and better still improved regulatory practices. The results of the study are an important factor for understanding the necessity of global health and ecosystems safeguarding against POPs.
