What are persistent organic pollutants POPs and why it becomes a global concern?

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment around the world. Because they can be transported by wind and water, most POPs generated in one country can and do affect people and wildlife far from where they are used and released.

What is an example of a persistent organic pollutant?

Examples of persistent organic pollutants include:

• Aldrin.
• Chlordane.
• DDT.
• Dieldrin.
• Endrin.
• Heptachlor.
• Hexachlorobenzene.
• Mirex.

What are the organic pollutants of water?

Organic pollutants include microplastics, phthalates, humic acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pharmaceutical drugs and metabolites, plastics, oil spills, petroleum hydrocarbons, personal care products, tannery waste, dyes and pigments.

What are the effects of POPs?

Human exposure – for some compounds and scenarios, even to low levels of POPs – can lead to many health effects including increased cancer risk, reproductive disorders, alteration of the immune system, neurobehavioural impairment, endocrine disruption, genotoxicity and increased birth defects.

How do persistent organic pollutants affect living things?

Wildlife and humans around the world carry amounts of POPs in their bodies that are at or near levels that can cause injury. Even small quantities of POPs can wreak havoc in human and animal tissue, causing nervous system damage, diseases of the immune system, reproductive and developmental disorders, and cancers.

What do you mean by persistent organic pollutants?

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), sometimes known as “forever chemicals” are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. They are toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment around the world.

How many persistent organic pollutants are there?

Under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), currently 22 chemicals or groups of chemicals are regulated as POPs.

How do organic pollutants affect water?

Organic compounds in freshwater During the decomposition process the dissolved oxygen in the receiving water may be used up at a greater rate than it can be replenished, causing oxygen depletion and having severe consequences for the stream biota.

How does organic pollution affect water?

A type of organic pollution can occur when inorganic pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphates accumulate in aquatic ecosystems. Thermal pollution can lead to a decrease in the dissolved oxygen level in the water while also increasing the biological demand of aquatic organisms for oxygen.

Which of the following ways best describes a way that persistent organic pollutants POPs cause harm in the environment?

Which of the following best describes a way that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) cause harm in the environment? Persistent organic pollutants release carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere when buried for disposal.

Why are persistent organic pollutants organic?

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), sometimes known as “forever chemicals”, are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes.

Why Persistent Organic Pollutants POPs have long half life?

POPs have long half-lives in soils, sediments, air and biota. POPs in the environment are transported at low concentrations by movement of fresh and marine waters; in addition, because they are semi-volatile, POPs are transported over long distances in the atmosphere.

What are persistent organic pollutants (POPs)?

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment around the world. Because they can be transported by wind and water, most POPs generated in one country can and do affect people and wildlife far from where they are used and released.

What is global water pollution?

It is organized along the different temporal and spatial scales of global water pollution. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have affected water systems on a water pollution. Agricultural chemicals and wastewater sources exert shorter-term effects on regional to local scales.

How are Pops deposited in aquatic ecosystems?

POPs can be deposited in marine and freshwater ecosystems through effluent releases, atmospheric deposition, runoff, and other means. Because POPs have low water solubility, they bond strongly to particulate matter in aquatic sediments. As a result, sediments can serve as reservoirs or “sinks” for POPs.

What are the effects of Pops on wildlife?

Studies have linked POPs exposures to declines, diseases, or abnormalities in a number of wildlife species, including certain kinds of fish, birds, and mammals. Wildlife also can act as sentinels for human health: abnormalities or declines detected in wildlife populations can sound an early warning bell for people.