THE countdown has begun to ban 12 of the most dangerous chemical pollutants. Known as persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, the dirty dozen are known to cause cancer and damage reproductive, nervous and immune systems.
The Stockholm Convention on POPs comes into force on 17 May, legally binding governments to ban immediately the production and environmental release of most of these chemicals. The 90-day countdown was triggered last week when France became the 50th country to ratify the convention.
POPs, such as dioxins, furans and polychlorinated biphenols, are highly stable compounds that can take decades to break down. They are…
