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US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development's (ORD) National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) |
| Abstract The Foundation for Global Action on Persistent Organic Pollutants: A United States Perspective, developed by scientists from EPA, other federal and state agencies, and the academic community, is a technical support document aimed at informing decision makers, general academia, and the public on the scientific foundation and relevance to the United States of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). POPs are a small group of organic chemicals exhibiting the combined properties of persistence, bioaccumulation, toxicity, and long-range environmental transport. The report, which has been through internal review, independent external peer review, and public review and comment, summarizes data available in the peer reviewed literature on the 12 POPs chemicals initially included in the Stockholm Convention and provides an overview of the risks posed to U.S. ecosystems and the public. This small group of chemicals have been major contributors to toxic environmental pollution in the United States and worldwide. The 12 POPs included in the Convention are: aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, DDT, chlordane, heptachlor, mirex, toxaphene, hexachlorobenzene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and polychlorinated dibenzofurans. The Stockholm Convention on POPs was signed by EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman on behalf of the United States in May 2001, and has been submitted to Congress for ratification. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-TOX/2002/June/Day-13/t14993.htm
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