POP is the abbreviation for Persistent Organic Pollutants. It is a group of chemicals that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a severe risk to human health and the environment. Exposure to POPs can lead to cancer, endocrine disruption, reproductive and immune dysfunction, and neurobehavioral and developmental disorders.
There are three groups of persistent substances mentioned in regulations: - POP, Persistent Organic Pollutants
Persistent means that these substances will not (bio)degrade. Because of this, they persist for a (very) long time in the environment, travel across the whole world via water and air and jeopardise human health and environment. Bio-accumulation occurs when humans or animals absorb a toxic substance faster than that it can lose it.
A fish swimming in polluted water will contain more and more toxins in its body because it is not able to get rid of the pollutant by itself. The accumulation continues when a predator eats the fish.
The risks of POPs are known for many decades; in 1978, the EU prohibited eight pesticides (directive 79/117/EEC). Many POPs were used as pesticides, for instance, DDT, but they are also involved in industrial processes and used in solvents, plastics, flame retardants and more. They are created intentionally but also as unwanted by-products.
The EU, and also Canada and the USA, are signatories to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
UNEP is the global environmental authority that strives for a healthy planet for all of us. Their work includes worldwide bans of hazardous chemicals and waste, including persistent organic pollutants. During several Conventions (e.g. Stockholm, Basel, Rotterdam and Geneva) provisions have been established.
In 2004 the EU published Regulation (EC) 850/2004 based on the UN provisions. It has been amended 12 times since. In 2019, further measures were found necessary. As a result, the EU has recast the first POP regulation.
POP Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 entered into force on July 15, 2019.
The EU has legislated the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals in the REACh Regulation (EC) 1907/2006. REACh has a broader scope and more objectives than the POP regulations, but they share one goal: the ban or restriction of dangerous chemical substances.
The restrictions in Annex XVII of REACH are very similar to those in Annex I of the POP regulation.
A proposal on a POP, accepted as part of the UNEP conventions and protocols, is added to the POP regulation. A POP already listed in Annex XVII of REACH will move to the POP regulation.
The main objective of the POP Regulation still is to prohibit (or severely restrict) the production, placing on the market and use of persistent organic pollutants.
The first POP regulation (EC) 850/2004 was published in 2004, two years before the REACh Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 was released and four years before the Waste Directive 2008/98/EC. The definitions and terminology of the new POP Regulation have been aligned with the REACh legislation.
The main changes of POP Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 are:
The European Chemical Agency (ECHA) keeps a list of substances proposed as POPs. These substances may be published in a future amendment to the POP Regulation.
Three amending regulations have been published already:
Name |
CAS# |
EC# |
Use |
Tetrabromodiphenyl ether 1) |
40088-47-9 a.o |
254-787-2 a.o |
Flame-retardant, enclosures, circuit boards |
Pentabromodiphenyl ether 1) |
32534-81-9 a.o |
251-084-2 a.o |
Flame-retardant, enclosures, circuit boards; industrial |
Hexabromodiphenyl ether 1) |
36483-60-0 a.o |
253-058-6 a.o |
Flame-retardant, enclosures, circuit boards |
Heptabromodiphenyl ether 1) |
68928-80-3 a.o |
273-031-2 a.o |
Flame-retardant, enclosures, circuit boards; industrial |
Bis(pentabromophenyl) ether, Deca-bromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) 1) |
1163-19-5 |
214-604-9 |
Flame-retardant, enclosures, televisions, textiles, carpets |
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and derivatives (PFOS) |
Several |
Several |
Many applications; printed circuit boards, water repellant /stain resistant coatings, textiles, leather, carpet, coatings and paint, adhesives, paper(board) and fire fighting foams |
DDT |
50-29-3 |
200-024-3 |
Pesticide |
Chlordane |
57-74-9 |
200-349-0 |
Pesticide, insecticide |
Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCH) including lindane |
58-89-9 |
200-401-2 |
Pesticide, insecticide; unintentional by-product |
Dieldrin |
60-57-1 |
200-484-5 |
Agricultural; Pesticide |
Endrin |
72-20-8 |
200-775-7 |
Pesticide |
Heptachlor |
76-44-8 |
200-962-3 |
Pesticide, termiticide, wood treatment, underground cable boxes |
Endosulfan |
Several |
204-079-4 |
Pesticide, insecticide |
Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) |
118-74-1 |
204-273-9 |
Solvent in pesticides, fungicide, fireworks, by-product industrial processes |
Chlordecone |
143-50-0 |
205-601-3 |
Pesticide |
Aldrin |
309-00-2 |
206-215-8 |
Pesticide, insecticide |
Pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) |
608-93-5 |
210-172-0 |
Industrial; fire-retardant; unintentional by-product |
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) |
1336-36-3 a.o |
215-648-1 |
Industrial; paints, kits, oils, electrical equipment, coolant fluids, insulating fluids, plasticisers |
Mirex |
2385-85-5 |
219-196-6 |
Insecticide, termiticide , flame-retardant |
Toxaphene |
8001-35-2 |
232-283-3 |
Pesticide |
Hexabromobiphenyl (HBB) 1) |
36355-01-8 |
252-994-2 |
Industrial, flame-retardant, electronic equipment |
Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) |
Several |
247-148-4 221-695-9 |
Flame-retardant, most commonly used for extended polystyrene (EPS) |
Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) |
87-68-3 |
201-765-5 |
Industrial (by-product); solvents, synthetic rubbers |
Pentachlorophenol and its salts and esters |
87-86-5 a.o |
201-778-6 a.o |
Insecticide, herbicide, fungicides, leather and wood preservative. Residues can be found in textiles, leather, wood and paper in products. |
Polychlorinated naphtalenes (PCN) |
70776-03-3 a.o |
274-864-4 a.o |
Many industrial applications; capacitors, additives, cable insulators, preservatives |
Alkanes C10-C13, chloro (short-chain chlorinated paraffins) (SCCP) |
85535-84-8 a.o |
287-476-5 |
Many applications; lubricants, metalworking, (artificial) leather, flame- retardants, softeners, plasticisers, sealants, coolants, paints, coatings |
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds |
335-67-1 a.o. |
206-397-9 a.o. |
Many applications for heat resistance and water/oil/dirt repellency; applied in textiles, fabrics, apparel, carpets, sealants, paper, cookware. |
Dicofol |
115-32-2 |
204-082-0 |
Pesticide |
1) Poly-brominated biphenyls (PBB) and poly-brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are restricted for electrical and electronic equipment via RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU, therefore the POP Regulation does not apply to these products.