Stockholm Convention

The 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants aims to eliminate twelve chemical products that are particularly pollutant because they are highly toxic, bioaccumulable, difficult to degrade and able to spread over long distances.

The Dirty Dozen

These persistent products are called the Dirty Dozen: 8 pesticides, 2 industrial products and 2 by-products from industrial processes.

These are, respectively:

• aldrin;
• chlordane;
• DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane);
• dieldrin;
• endrin;
• heptachlor;
• mirex;
• toxaphene;
• PCBs (polychlorobiphenyls);
• hexachlorobenzene;
• dioxins (Agent Orange and others);
• furans.

In 2009, 9 new compounds were added to the Dirty Dozen. These include 4 pesticides, 4 industrial products and 1 by-product:

• chlordecone;
• lindane;
• alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane;
• beta-hexachlorocyclohexane;
• octabromodiphenyl ether;
• pentabromodiphenyl ether;
• perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride;
• hexabromobiphenyl;
• pentachlorobenzene.

Classification of these pollutants

These persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are classified into three annexes depending on whether their use and production must be eliminated (Annex A), restricted (Annex B) or their uncontrolled emission into the environment must be reduced, or even eliminated (Annex C).

Since the Stockholm Convention the submission of other products is being studied.