The “Dirty Dozen” POPs
The “Dirty Dozen”
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants identified an initial twelve chemicals or chemical groups for priority action. Links will open a new browser window.
Chemical or Class |
Notes1 |
|---|---|
| Aldrin | Pesticide widely used on corn and cotton until 1970. EPA allowed its use for termites until manufacturer cancelled registration in 1987. Closely related to dieldrin. |
| Chlordane | Pesticide on agricultural crops, lawns, and gardens and a fumigant for termite control. All uses were banned in the United States in 1988 but still produced for export. |
| DDT | Pesticide still used for malaria control in the tropics. Banned for all but emergency uses in the United States in 1972. |
| Dieldrin | Pesticide widely used on corn and cotton until 1970. EPA allowed its use for termites until manufacturer cancelled registration in 1987. A breakdown product of aldrin. |
| Endrin | Used as a pesticide to control insects, rodents, and birds. Not produced or sold for general use in the United States since 1986. |
| Heptachlor | Insecticide in household and agricultural uses until 1988. Also a component and a breakdown product of chlordane. |
| Hexachlorobenzene | Pesticide and fungicide used on seeds, also an industrial byproduct. Not widely used in the United States since 1965. |
| Mirex | Insecticide and flame retardant not used or manufactured in the United States since 1978. |
| Toxaphene | Insecticide used primarily on cotton. Most uses in the U.S. were banned in 1982, and all uses in 1990. |
| PCBs | Polychlorinated biphenyls, widely used in electrical equipment and other uses. Manufacture of PCBs banned in the United States in 1977. |
| Two notorious classes of “unintentional” pollutants, byproducts of incineration and industrial processes. Regulated in the United States under air, water, food quality, occupational safety, waste, and other statutes. |
1 Adapted from the Public Heath Statements on certain chemicals by Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.