The need for better management and control of POPs stockpiles

Weber, Roland; Schlumpf, Margret; Nakano, Takeshi; Vijgen, John

doi:10.1007/s11356-015-5162-7

Cited by 27 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…For example, a 2011 investigation into a German company involved in PCB management discovered that staff working at the factory had elevated blood PCB levels due to inadequate controls and insufficient mitigation measures at the site (Weber et al 2015a). Containment facilities and PCB equipment and materials in landfills pose greater environmental risks than small amounts of low concentration PCB equipment and materials distributed over a wider area owing to the collective higher PCB concentration and its potential for entering into the environment (UNEP 2007).…”

Section: There Is Already a Global Framework To Address Pcbs Why Is mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overall, there appears to be a systemic shortfall for most contracting parties to provide sufficient resources and prioritisation for the effective implementation of the Stockholm Convention (UNEP 2015a; Weber et al 2015a). This underperformance is not just restricted to efforts to eliminate PCBs -many contracting parties appear ambivalent about other obligations under the Convention as well.…”

Section: Barriers To Effective Implementation Of the Stockholm Convenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is wide recognition in the global community, reflected by the high membership of the Stockholm Convention, of the threat of PCBs and the need for their management. However, the political appetite to continually undertake the necessarily actions to eliminate or provide effective environmentally sound management of PCBs is not reflected in investment and resource allocation, particularly in Europe (Weber et al 2015a). There are perceptions that the early declines in PCB levels in biota and the environment indicate that PCB regulations have been a success and the threat is largely under control and remaining emissions are minor (DEFRA 2013;Weber et al 2013).…”

Section: Political Appetitementioning

confidence: 99%

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Persistent threats need persistent counteraction: Responding to PCB pollution in marine mammals

Stuart-Smith¹,

Jepson

2017

Marine Policy

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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a type of persistent organic pollutant (POP) that continues to pose a significant environmental threat to humans and wildlife. Recent scientific evidence shows that very high PCB concentrations are still major causes of contemporary declines in European cetacean populations, and potentially other marine apex predators globally. Currently, controls on PCBs are insufficient, on their own, to fully protect human health or to conserve wildlife. Although the Stockholm Convention provides a global framework to address PCBs, there appears to be a systemic shortfall of many parties of the Convention to provide sufficient prioritisation and resources for effective implementation. A 2015 United Nations Environment Programme assessment estimates that the vast majority of PCB-contaminated equipment and materials, around 14 million tonnes, still requires elimination. At present rates of PCB elimination or mitigation, many countries, including some European countries, will not achieve the 2025 and 2028 targets of the Stockholm Convention. It is imperative that the Conference of the Parties for the Stockholm Convention conclude article 17 negotiations on a compliance mechanism for the Convention as soon as possible. To help mobilise global efforts towards eliminating the threat from PCBs, an enforceable, effective and robust compliance mechanism should be established, along with capacity building support for developing countries. In Europe, renewed action is needed to reduce PCB contamination, in order to prevent some killer whale (Orcinus orca) and other dolphin populations from continuing to slowly decline, potentially towards extinction.

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Section: There Is Already a Global Framework To Address Pcbs Why Is mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Barriers To Effective Implementation Of the Stockholm Convenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Political Appetitementioning

confidence: 99%

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Persistent threats need persistent counteraction: Responding to PCB pollution in marine mammals

Stuart-Smith¹,

Jepson

2017

Marine Policy

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“…The implementation of the Stockholm Convention therefore requires that the countries hosting the (former) chlorinated solvent production and related HCB, HCBD and PCN contamination will need to be assessed, secured and, where appropriate, remediated. Lessons from the remediation in Kalush and in Austria (Funk et al 2015;Weber et al 2015) and challenges this has revealed might therefore be useful to help guide remediation at other sites. 4 Small quantities of chlorinated solvents had been produced earlier.…”

Section: Fate Of Exported Waste and Challenges Of Destruction Of Pop mentioning

confidence: 99%

Threats to water resources from hexachlorobenzene waste at Kalush City (Ukraine)—a review of the risks and the remediation options

Lysychenko

Weber

Ковач

et al. 2015

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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The production of chlorinated solvents such as tetrachloroethylene and tetrachloromethane has resulted in large stockpiles of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including high content of hexachlorobenzene (HCB waste). HCB waste of 15,000 t arising from the production of chlorinated solvents at the Kalush factory in Ukraine was landfilled. In 2008, it was discovered that HCB and other pollutants were escaping from the landfill into local environment including the Sapogi-Limnytsia Rivers, tributaries of the Dniester River. This showed that the HCB waste was not appropriately contained and represented a threat to the Dniester River basin. A Presidential Decree of Ukraine was therefore issued requiring remediation of the site and excavation of the waste. Between 2010 and 2013, approximately 29,445 t of HCB waste and associated contaminated soil was excavated and exported to various EU countries for incineration. This excavation revealed that these wastes can corrode through their drums within a few decades with release of pollutants. Other sites at which chlorinated solvents were produced should therefore be assessed for possible similar pollution. Despite the remediation efforts and the excavation of the landfill, the Kalush area remains a POP-contaminated site requiring further assessment. A part of the waste was exported to Poland and is stored close to the Baltic Sea and is treated in an incinerator with small capacity over a time frame of years. This case and recent similar cases reveal that the control of POP waste for destruction even in EU countries needs to be improved.

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“…On the other hand, the cases of the POPs pesticide dumpsites in Kyrgyzstan demonstrate the current challenges to manage such sites in developing countries and that often only small budgets and minimum mitigation measures are available (Toichuev et al 2017a) to address the largest exposure risks (Toichuev et al 2017a,b). This highlights the need for more integrated POPs management and improved destruction capacity for many countries, as discussed in the former special issues (Weber et al 2013(Weber et al , 2015. In recent years, China has demonstrated that it is feasible to destroy more than 10,000 t of POPs pesticide stockpiles and 400,000 t of POP pesticide-contaminated soils in cement kilns including the development of management and monitoring capacity (Yan et al 2014;Li et al 2015).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The legacy of pesticides and POPs stockpiles—a threat to health and the environment

Vijgen

Weber

Lichtensteiger

et al. 2018

Environ Sci Pollut Res

Self Cite

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The need for better management and control of POPs stockpiles

Cited by 27 publications

References 34 publications

Persistent threats need persistent counteraction: Responding to PCB pollution in marine mammals

Persistent threats need persistent counteraction: Responding to PCB pollution in marine mammals

Threats to water resources from hexachlorobenzene waste at Kalush City (Ukraine)—a review of the risks and the remediation options

The legacy of pesticides and POPs stockpiles—a threat to health and the environment

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