Background: POPs are hazardous chemicals that persist over time and can be carried in air, water and soil; despite being banned in the US, they are found widely in food and the environment They have been linked to serious developmental and problems in humans and animals;. Examples of POPs are industrial chemicals like PCBs and pesticides like DDT.
Methods: Researchers discovered the accumulation of POPs during the late 1960s when they began to see behavioral abnormalities and birth defects in fish, birds and mammals. Because POPs travel up the food chain, documented harm is especially prevalent in predator species. Alarmed by these animal-based findings, scientists launched studies to determine whether humans were prone to injury from POPs. They gathered evidence that linked POPs to cancers and disorders of immune, reproductive and neurological systems. Results: In 1996 The World Federation of Public Health Associations passed a resolution concerning POPs and launched the WFPHA POPs Project the next year. Along with other organizations this project has been engaged in bringing information about these environmental pollutants to the attention of public health professionals and discussing the contribution of the health care industry to this problem.
Conclusion: The project facilitated the WFPHA's participation as an NGO in the intergovernmental treaty negotiation process that led to the Stockholm Convention signed this past May which has targeted twelve priority POPs for reduction and eventual elimination
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify WFPHA efforts to promote greater awareness of the risks posed by the widespread use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). 2. Assess WFPHA support for concerted international action reducing the global use of POPs.
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