Request for information on substances proposed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) 2024
Request for information to feed into a draft Risk Profile, and draft Risk Management Evaluation for 2 chemical substances proposed as POPs to the UN’s POP Review Committee.
Documents
Details
The UK is a party to the United Nations’ Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs are substances that persist in the environment, accumulate in living organisms and pose a risk to our health and the environment. They can be transported by air, water, or migratory species across international borders, reaching regions where they have never been produced or used.
The Stockholm Convention’s POPs Review Committee (POPRC) has requested:
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information relating to polyhalogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PXDD/Fs), to inform the draft Risk Profile (as specified in Annex E of the Stockholm Convention) - we also ask for information relating to the socioeconomic factors for polyhalogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PXDD/Fs), in anticipation of POPRC calls should the draft Risk Profile be agreed
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information relating to any use of chlorinated paraffins with carbon chain lengths in the range C14-17, particularly information relating to requests for required ongoing uses - these substances will be considered at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP.12) in 2025 for global elimination
This information will help determine the need for any specific exemptions and acceptable purposes for continued use. These substances have been proposed for listing as POPs under the Stockholm Convention.
You can find more information about POPRC’s calls for comments and information on the Stockholm Convention’s website.
Comments
Submissions were invited for a 5 week period from 25 October to 29 November 2024. DEFRA received 10 responses in total which will be summarised and published.
We received 5 responses relating to the call for information on polyhalogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PXDD/Fs). These have been incorporated into the UK’s Annex E submission for the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC).
This engagement was linked to the POPRC’s call for information. A draft Risk Profile document for this substance will be made available for comment on both the Stockholm Convention website and as a call for comment on GOV.UK.
We received 5 responses relating to our call for more information on medium chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCP’s) regardless of chlorination levels. These will be used to inform our position before the Conference of Parties to be held in April or May 2025.
Updates to this page
Published 25 October 2024Last updated 4 December 2024 + show all updates
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The request for information has ended and comments have been received.
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Request for information to feed into a draft Risk Profile, and draft Risk Management Evaluation for 2 chemical substances proposed as POPs to the UN’s POP Review Committee.
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First published.