Industrial POPs

What are industrial POPs?

Industrial Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are toxic, man-made, hazardous chemicals that have dangerous effects on the environment and our health.

Chemicals market growing The size of the global chemical industry exceeded US $5 trillion in 2017. It is projected to double by 2030. Consumption and production are rapidly increasing in emerging economies. Global supply chains, and the trade of chemicals and products, are becoming increasingly complex. (Source: Global Chemicals Outlook II Key messages)

There are an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 industrial chemicals in commerce globally. An estimated 6,000 of them account for more than 99 per cent of the total volume of chemicals in commerce globally. (Source: Global Chemicals Outlook II)

Fifteen industrial chemicals are listed by the Stockholm Convention on POPs, a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants entered into force in 2004.

Industrial POPs are used in a variety of applications including as additive Flame retardant (DecBDE, Hexabromobiphenyl, HBCDD, PeCB, PBDEs, PFOS) as well as in plastics/polymers/composites, textiles, adhesives, sealants, coatings and inks, as solvent, as intermediaries in the production of other chemicals, and/or in several other industrial processes. For examples PCBs were used in industry as heat exchange fluids, in electric transformers and capacitors, and as additives in paint, carbonless copy paper, and plastics.

Hazardous effects of industrial POPs

Industrial POPs exhibit similar characteristic as all POPs: they are highly persistent in the environment, have a high potential for bioaccumulation and biomagnification, and can be transported for long distances. They are often classified as a possible human carcinogen and are toxic to living organisms. PFHxS substances have been found to influence the human nervous system, brain development, and thyroid hormone.

Some POPs fall into the 3 types of POPs: pesticides (Annexes A and B), industrial (Annexes A and B) and UPOP (Annex C)

HCB listed since 2004 in Annex A and Annex C was used as pesticide and is also an unintentional by-product of the manufacture of certain industrial chemicals.

PeCB listed since 2009 in Annex A and Annex C was used in PCBs products in dyestuff carriers, as a fungicide, or a flame retardant. PeCB might still be used as an intermediate and is also produced unintentionally during combustion, thermal and industrial processes.

PFOS listed in Annex B since 2009 is both intentionally produced and an unintended degradation product of related anthropogenic chemicals. The current intentional use of PFOS is widespread and includes: in electric and electronic parts, as fire-fighting foam, photo imaging, hydraulic fluids and textiles. PFOS is still produced in several countries. Its acceptable use includes it use as an active ingredient in insect bait to control leaf-cutting ants, in closed-loops systems in metal plating and as fire-fighting foam.

The 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in 2022 listed perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), a chemical widely used in firefighting foam, carpets, and non-stick cookware.

In May 2023, Dechorane Plus and UV-328 are listed by the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

Industrial POPs in circular economy – sustainability – waste management

Industrial chemicals (including POPs or future POPs) are found everywhere, in all sectors: Energy, Transport, Building/Construction/Infrastructure, Electronics, Agri-food, Plastics and Textile. Often several chemicals are present in one product rendering the recycling very complicated or impossible. The environmentally sustainable management of waste containing POPs is a huge challenge.

Some 54 million metric tonnes of phones, computers and other so-called e-waste are produced a year, according to data from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners.

That is equivalent to 7 kilogrammes for every person on Earth; a number predicted to double by 2050 if nothing is done. Only 17 per cent of e-waste is recycled. The rest is dumped, often to be sifted through in low-income countries by informal workers, including children, seeking to extract valuable materials at grave risk to their health.

How disposable tech is feeding an e-waste crisis

Close to 400 million tons of plastic waste are generated every year – a figure set to double by 2040. Only a fraction of that is recycled and much infiltrates the environment, including the ocean, where it causes a host of problems for humans and wildlife.

In March 2022, Heads of State, Ministers of environment and other representatives from UN Member States endorsed a historic resolution at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in Nairobi to End Plastic Pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024. The resolution addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, including its production, design and disposal.

“Sometimes we see 10 to 15 different types of material in one shoe, including four different types of plastic”. That dizzying combination of plastic, leather, rubber, foam, metal and adhesives means sneakers could also take up to 1,000 years to degrade, making it highly likely almost every trainer you’ve ever owned is still kicking around somewhere (in a landfill). (Photograph: Kellie French/The Guardian)

PCBs, PBDEs, PFOA, PFOS, SCCPS are examples of chemicals of concern that can be found in toys. Launched in May 2023, the International Chemicals Management Toolkit for the Toy Supply Chain helps stakeholders in the toys industry tracking and managing chemicals in their products, fulfilling their chemicals-related legal obligations and protecting children from chemicals of concern in toys.

The building and construction sector is one of the most chemical-intensive sectors downstream of the chemicals industry with the largest end-market for chemicals and generating the highest chemical revenue. Some of the chemicals in building materials and building products are POPs or future POPs and may have harmful impacts on human health and the environment along their life cycle and pose barriers to increased circularity of materials. Search the Infohub on saickmknowledge platform

chemical hazards from common building materials — *Chemical hazards from common building materials (this list is non-exhaustive)*

Chemical impacts of microfibres in the environment include leaching of toxic chemicals, such as dyes or fire retardants (de Souza Machado et al., 2018)

Microfibres releases in the environment — *Source: Sustainability and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain: Global Stocktaking*

Safer alternatives to POPs

One of the essential aims of the Stockholm Convention is to support the transition to safer alternatives. Some of the POPs targeted by the Convention are already virtually obsolete. Their toxic effects became obvious early on and they have been banned or severely restricted in many countries for years or even decades, even before the Convention was adopted. Replacement chemicals and techniques are in place. The remaining challenge is to find any leftover stocks, prevent this hazardous waste from being used and eventually eliminate them using environmentally sound management.

But with other POPs the transition to safer alternatives will require more effort. Alternatives may be more expensive and their manufacture and use more complicated. To avoid regrettable substitution, Parties need to make sure the alternatives do not have the same properties as the POPs they are replacing.

Two industrial chemicals are proposed for listing under the Stockholm Convention: PFCAs and, Medium-chain chlorinated paraffins. See the Interactive timeline of POPs listed under the Stockholm Convention

GMP Dashboard

The UNEP/GEF Global Monitoring project measures concentrations of POPs, many of which are industrial POPs, in air, human milk and samples of national interest. See the results in the interactive dashboard.