to protect human health and environment,

Stockholm Convention (SC) Milestones

91 countries including the Philippines adopt and
open for signature the United Nations treaty in 27 February 2004  the Philippine government, through the  the Philippines updates the NIP and identifies the
Stockholm, Sweden (known as the Stockholm  the Philippines signs as the 51st Party Department of Environment and Natural Resources, need for a more comprehensive inventory of
POPs

2001 of the SC
Convention) to reduce or eliminate the production, develops a National Implementation Plan (NIP) to industrial chemicals under POPs including
use and release of 12 key persistent organic 2004 12 May 2004 2006 meet the country's obligations to the SC and 2013 the implementation of incentives for rural electric
pollutants (POPs)  179 Parties, 152 signatories address local POPs issues cooperatives to phase out Polychlorinated Biphenyls

The Philippines meets its commitment to the SC through

an integrated POPs management program aimed to:
Asbestos Polychlorinated
 strengthen regulatory and monitoring framework Biphenyl
and build capacity for safe management of POPs
 reduce releases of unintentionally produced POPs
 manage Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
or Chemicals of Potential Concern (COPCs) Cyanide and Other Regulated Mercury and
 identify and reduce exposure to POPs contaminated sites Cyanide
compounds
Contaminants Mercury
compounds
in the Philippines
Characteristics of POPs
POPs are chemical substances that persist
INDUSTRIAL in the environment, bioaccumulate
CHEMICALS
The through the food web, and pose
Ozone depleting Lead and lead
• Hexachlorobenzene
Dirty (HCB)
a risk of causing adverse
CAPABILITY FOR substances compounds
effects to human health
Dozen • Polychlorinated and the environment. LONG RANGE
biphenyls (PCBs) TRANSPORT
CB
•H
UNINTENTIONALLY PESTICIDES
 Ability to travel long distances through the action of wind, migratory animals, and
PRODUCED • Aldrin • Chlordane through natural processes such as evaporation and precipitation.
BY-PRODUCTS • DDT • Dieldrin
• Dioxins • Furans • Endrin • HCB Toxic Pollution from Particulate Matter Indirect Deposition
• Heptachlor • Mirex Anthropogenic Sources
• Toxaphene
Dry Particle Deposition Wet Deposition Air/Water Gas Exchange
PERSISTENCE
Additional POPs:
BIOACCUMULATION
The Nasty Nine  Ability to bio-accumulate in fatty tissues of plants, animals and human due to its
• Tetrabromodiphenyl ether high affinity to fats and low solubility in water.
PESTICIDE and pentabromodiphenyl ether  Ability  POPs are lipophilic and hydrophobic
• Perflourooctanesulfonic
• Chlordecone
acid (PFOS), its salts
to resist TOXICITY
• Lindane degradation
perflourooctanesulfonyl through physical, Effects on Humans and Wildlife
(gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane)
flouride (PFOSF) chemical and  Birth defects
• Hexabromodiphenyl ether biological processes  Tumors and cancers
a-Hexaclorocyclohexane
PENTACHLOROBENZENE

and heptabromodiphenyl ether  Half Life – is the time  Compromised immune systems
b-Hexachlorocyclohexane
• Hexabromodiphenyl it takes for half of the amount of a  Behavioral abnormalities
substance to decay. C = Co(1/2)t/T1/2  Dysfunctional reproductive
 For a substance to be considered as persistent:  POPs have been linked systems including feminization
• Half life of the chemical in water to various diseases and disorder of males and masculinization of females
is greater than two months such as cancer, hormonal  Abnormally functioning thyroids
BY-PRODUCT INDUSTRIAL dysfunction and reproductive Effects
• Half life in soil and in sediment and other hormone system malfunctions
CHEMICAL
is greater than six months disorders. of POPs
 Contaminated Site Management Hierarchy

Remediation
and clean-up

Environmental
Monitoring
Ex-SITU
treatment

Site Control
Measures

Remedial
Action Plan Persistent
Organic
ESA
(Environmental Pollutants:
Global
Site Assessment)

Issue,
EFFECTIVITY

Local
COST

Response