| The logo of the Stockholm Convention Secretariat | |
| Type | United Nations treaty |
|---|---|
| Signed | 23 May 2001 |
| Location | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Effective | 17 May 2004 |
| Condition | Ninety days after the ratification by at least 50 signatory states |
| Signatories | 151 |
| Parties | 173 |
| Depositary | Secretary-General of the United Nations |
| Languages | Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish |
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international environmental treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
Contents |
In 1995, the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called for global action to be taken on POPs, which it defined as "chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment".
Following this, the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) prepared an assessment of the 12 worst offenders, known as the dirty dozen.
The negotiations for the Convention were completed on 23 May 2001 in Stockholm. The convention entered into force on 17 May 2004 with ratification by an initial 128 parties and 151 signatories. Co-signatories agree to outlaw nine of the dirty dozen chemicals, limit the use of DDT to malaria control, and curtail inadvertent production of dioxins and furans.
Parties to the convention have agreed to a process by which persistent toxic compounds can be reviewed and added to the convention, if they meet certain criteria for persistence and transboundary threat. The first set of new chemicals to be added to the Convention were agreed at a conference in Geneva on 8 May 2009.
As of April, 2011, there are 173 parties to the Convention.[1]
There were initially twelve distinct chemicals listed in three categories. Two chemicals, hexachlorobenzene and polychlorinated biphenyls, were listed in both categories A and C.[2]
| Annex | Name | CAS Number | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Elimination | Aldrin | 309-00-2 | Production none Use as a local ectoparasiticide and insecticide |
| A. Elimination | Chlordane | 57-74-9 | Production by registered parties Use as a local ectoparasiticide, insecticide, termiticide (including in buildings, dams and roads) and as an additive in plywood adhesives |
| A. Elimination | Dieldrin | 60-57-1 | Production none Use in agricultural operations |
| A. Elimination | Endrin | 72-20-8 | None |
| A. Elimination | Heptachlor | 76-44-8 | Production none Use as a termiticide (including in the structure of houses and underground), for organic treatment and in underground cable boxes |
| A. Elimination | Hexachlorobenzene | 118-74-1 | Production by registered parties Use as a chemical intermediate and a solvent for pesticides |
| A. Elimination | Mirex | 2385-85-5 | Production by registered parties Use as a termiticide |
| A. Elimination | Toxaphene | 8001-35-2 | None |
| A. Elimination | Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) | various | Production none Use in accordance with part II of Annex A |
| B. Restriction | DDT | 50-29-3 | Disease vector control in accordance with Part II of Annex B Production and use as an intermediate in the production of dicofol and other compounds |
| C. Unintentional Production | Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins ("dioxins") and polychlorinated dibenzofurans | various | |
| C. Unintentional Production | Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) | various | |
| C. Unintentional Production | Hexachlorobenzene | 118-74-1 |
| Annex | Name | CAS Number | Exemptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Elimination | α-Hexachlorocyclohexane | 319-84-6 | None |
| A. Elimination | β-Hexachlorocyclohexane | 319-85-7 | None |
| A. Elimination | Chlordecone | 143-50-0 | None |
| A. Elimination | Hexabromobiphenyl | 36355-01-8 | None |
| A. Elimination | Hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether |
various | Production none Use recycling and reuse of articles containing these compounds |
| A. Elimination | Lindane (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane ) | 58-89-9 | Production none Use Human health pharmaceutical for control of head lice and scabies as second line treatment |
| A. Elimination & C. Unintentional Production | Pentachlorobenzene | 608-93-5 | None |
| A. Elimination | Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether |
various | Production none Use recycling and reuse of articles containing these compounds |
| B. Restriction | Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF) | various | Production for permitted uses Use various uses specified in part III of Annex B |
Although some critics have alleged that the treaty is responsible for the continuing death toll from malaria, in reality the treaty specifically permits the public health use of DDT for the control of mosquitoes (the malaria vector).[4][5][6] From a developing country perspective, a lack of data and information about the sources, releases, and environmental levels of POPs hampers negotiations on specific compounds, and indicates a strong need for research.[7][8]