POPS REVIEW COMMITTEE INFORMATION REPOSITORY POPRC CANDIDATE POPS NGO Nominations |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Candidate POPs in Consumer Products :
Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) - three commercial formulations of PBDEs (penta, octa, decaBDEs) are used as flame retardants in plastics for TVs and computers, in carpets, car interiors and polyurethane foams for furniture and bedding. PBDEs are persistent, mobile in the environment, bioaccumulate, disrupt thyroid hormones and are linked with cancer and reproductive damage.
Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) - these perfluorochemicals are used as soil/stain resistance treatments for fabrics/paper, in coatings for metal surfaces including non-stick cookware and in electronics components and fire fighting foams. They are very persistent, bioaccumulate, have developmental and reproductive effects and are linked with cancer.
Candidate Pesticides :
Lindane/ hexachlorocyclohexane – an insecticide for the treatment of seeds, lice and scabies; persistent, long-range transport in the atmosphere; endocrine disruptor and linked to cancer (included in LRTAP, OSPAR)
Endosulfan – an insecticide and acaricide (kills mites), moderately persistent, toxic to birds and very toxic to aquatic life, potential for endocrine disruption
Dicofol – an acaricide, structurally similar to DDT; persistent in food and water, highly toxic to aquatic life, causes egg-shell thinning in some bird species
Chlordecone – an insecticide, fungicide and degradation product of the POPs insecticide Mirex; persistent, affects nervous system, skin, kidney, liver, and reproductive system, causes tumours in liver, adrenal gland, and kidneys in laboratory test animals (included in LRTAP)
Candidate Industrial Chemicals :
Short-Chained Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPs) – used as lubricants, surface coatings, rubber / leather finishing; persistent, mobile, bioaccumulates, highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates and algae, toxic to liver, kidney and thyroid, inhibits intercellular communication.
Polychlorinated Napthalenes – uses include cable insulation, wood preservative, engine oil additive, capacitor fluids, dye intermediate, flame retardant; similar chemical and physical properties as PCBs, e.g., induce dioxin-like responses in fish and mammals
Hexabromobiphenyl (HxBB) – used as a fire retardant in thermoplastics for industrial and electrical products; persistent, endocrine disruptor and linked to cancer (included in LRTAP)
Hexachlorobutadiene – used as a solvent and heat transfer fluid; persistent, causes kidney and liver damage, developmental effects, carcinogen
Pentachlorobenzene – used as a fire retardant and to make fungicides, high potential for PCB generation; can affect the central nervous system, liver and kidneys, linked to toxic effects on human reproduction.
Candidate Byproducts :
Brominated dioxins and bromo-chlorodioxins – formed through combustion of brominated products and chemicals; suspected carcinogens and endocrine disruptors
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) - formed during incomplete combustion of organic material. Also used in dyes, plastics and pesticides; persistence, bioaccumulates in aquatic organisms; five PAHs probable or possible human carcinogens (included in LRTAP, OSPAR)
Octachlorostyrene – formed during electrolytic production of magnesium when graphite anodes used; persistent, bioacculumates, toxic to aquatic life, suspected endocrine disruptor
Organometals – e.g., organotins, methyl mercury – industrial uses and biocides; very persistent, neurotoxins, developmental effects, linked with cancer (included in LRTAP, OSPAR)
