Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a group of chemicals that have been widely used in agricultural and industrial practices, and those that have been unintentionally produced and released from many anthropogenic activities around the globe. POPs are characterized by persistence (they remain in the environment for a long time); bio-accumulation (substances accumulating in an organism); harmfulness: and potential for long range transport. Specific health effects of POPs include cancer, allergies and hypersensitivity, damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, reproductive disorders, and disruption of the immune system. Some POPs are also considered to be endocrine disrupters which can damage reproductive and immune systems of the exposed individuals as well as their offspring by altering the hormonal system. The Stockholm Convention, which was adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2004, requires its parties to take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment.
Article 16 of the Stockholm Convention includes a Global Monitoring Plan (GMP), which is to be conducted on a periodic basis, which monitors the presence of POPs in the environment and in humans, with the objective of assessing POPs regional and global transport.
