The Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

In conjunction with Earth Day 2001, President Bush announced on April 19, 2001, that the United States intends to sign the Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) at a diplomatic conference in Stockholm, May 22-23.

Due to their unique characteristics, POPs, which include substances such as DDT, PCBs and dioxins, are chemicals of both local and global concern. More than 100 nations participated in the final negotiation in December 2000.

POPs are toxic, persist in the environment for long periods of time, and accumulate as they move up the food chain. POPs have been linked to adverse impacts on humans and animals such as cancer, neurological damage, reproductive disorders, and disruption of the immune system. Because they circulate globally via the atmosphere, oceans and other pathways, POPs released in one part of the world can travel to regions far from their source of origin.

The United States played a leading role in pushing for international action on these substances. A global agreement is necessary, urgent and in the national interest because POPs released abroad can affect the health and environment of all Americans. The United States has already banned or severely restricted the production, use, sale and/or release of these chemicals. However, many countries have taken little or no action. POPs that are used elsewhere in the world can affect the United States. For example, POPs have been found in high concentrations in Alaska -- far from the industrial and agricultural regions where these substances were released, and in the Great Lakes region.

The POPs Convention sets forth ambitious yet realistic goals to eliminate or significantly restrict production, use and/or releases of twelve POPs, known as "the dirty dozen": pesticides (aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex and toxahene); industrial chemicals (PCBs and hexachlorobenzene); and unintentional byproducts of industrial and combustion processes (dioxins, furans, PCBs and hexachlorobenzene). Note that two POPs (PCBs and hexachlorobenzene) are listed in more than one category.

The Convention commits countries to take significant steps to eliminate or severely restrict the production, use and release of POPS. It also imposes controls on the handling of POPs wastes and on trade in POPs chemicals, and sets up a science-based process to consider whether other chemicals should be added to the Convention.

The United States will be able to implement nearly all of the obligations under existing legal authority. In a few cases, however, the Administration expects to seek additional targeted changes to U.S. law to ensure that the United States will be able to effectively fulfill our obligations under the Convention.

The Convention will also ensure that controls will be effective in developing countries by establishing a flexible framework to provide technical and financial assistance to help them meet their obligations and commitments.

The United States has been a world leader in providing funding and technical assistance for POPs-related projects, as well. From 1997-2000, U.S. contributions to POPs-related projects totaled at least $19 million. This included approximately $4.8 million to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for support of the POPs negotiations and for capacity building in developing countries to help them: implement alternatives to POPs pesticides; identify and manage stockpiles of POPs pesticides and wastes; manage PCB-containing equipment and waste; prepare regional action plans for addressing dioxins; and develop legislative frameworks for managing POPs.

The United States also contributed $500,000 for a UNEP regional assessment of persistent toxic substances. Nearly $9.8 million of U.S. bilateral/regional assistance in FY2000 was earmarked for POPs activities in the Russian Federation, Mexico, Latin America and Egypt. In FY2000 alone, the United States contributed over $5 million to WHO and NetMark, a public-private partnership in Africa, to distribute insecticide-treated bed nets and help malaria-endemic countries reduce their reliance on DDT. We will continue to provide both financial and technical assistance.