Press Release: Chemical Pollution: EU ratifies Stockholm POP Convention

The European Union on 18 November 2004 ratified the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), so far the most important global effort to ban the use of toxic chemicals. EU legislation had already implemented all its provisions. But by becoming a Party to the Convention, the European Union was enabled to push for its efficient implementation all over the world and for inclusion of additional substances to be banned globally. POPs are toxic, persist for generations, can travel long distances and accumulate in human and animal bodies. They have been widely used in industry and as pesticides. Traces of these substances can be found in humans and animals all over the planet. The EU deposited its ratification instrument with the United Nations in New York to become a full Party to the Convention 90 days later.