Persistent Organic Pollutants (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, 3 / 3O)

Since the mid 1990s, legal action to eliminate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has started resulting in a global Convention on POPs, the Stockholm Convention, and a regional Protocol under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (UN-ECE LRTAP Convention). POPs are characterized by long half-lives, persistence in the environment, they undergo long-range transport, accumulate in the environment and in biota, and they are toxic. The combination of these characteristics makes them a threat at the global level. This book makes the reader familiar with the goals of these two conventions, lays out characteristics of these compounds, presents results from case studies and addresses inventories, levels in humans and the environment as well as technologies to destroy them.

From the reviews:

"This book makes the reader familiar with the goals of the international conventions and addresses inventories, levels in humans and the environment as well as technologies to destroy them. The book’s attempt to cover this issue from many different countries at different stages of development and with differing policies regarding environmental issues makes it important reading for policymakers and manufacturers. ... the technical articles will be useful to scientists. Recommended for ... university and special libraries." (E-Streams, Vol. 6 (10), October, 2003)