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Update of the National Implementation Plan of the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

 
 
Commissioned by:
German Federal Environmental Agency (FKZ: 360 01 056)
 

Carried out by:
Ökopol, Institute for Environmental Strategies, Germany

 
In co-operation with:
Dr. Roland Weber
 
Duration:
2010 - 2011
 
 
 
Background

P ersistent Organic Pollutants ( POPs) are chemical substances which remain within the environment for a long time after their release. They accumulate through the food chain (in particular in fatty tissue) until the point where they have adverse effects onto the human health and the environment. In addition POPs can be spread worldwide through air- and ocean currents.

 
By implementing the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants the parties of the Convention are obliged to prevent the release of those substances or to reduce them as far as possible under economical and technical considerations. According to the contractual obligation of Article 7 of the Stockholm Convention Germany submitted it’s National Implementation Plan in May 2006 to the respective Secretariat. In May 2009 the parties of the Stockholm Convention decided to include nine new POPs into the convention.
 
Due to this Germany has to update its current national implementation plan within the next three years. Part of this work is to research which and how much of those new POPs are still being used, which materials and products still contain them and when these substances can be completely substituted within their identified application.
 
 
Objectives and expected results

Within the scope of the project the current national implementation plan will be updated and research will be performed with regard to the new substances.

 

Objective of the project is to gather, to validate and to enhance the existing information in order for Germany to fulfil its reporting obligations.

 
 
Contact
   
Dirk Jepsen
Olaf Wirth
Stephanie Schilling