Dirty Dozen

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are organic chemical substances, that is, they are carbon-based. They possess a particular combination of physical and chemical properties such that, once released into the environment, they:

• remain intact for exceptionally long periods of time (many years);
• become widely distributed throughout the environment as a result of natural processes involving soil, water and, most notably, air;
• accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms including humans, and are found at higher concentrations at higher levels in the food chain; and
• are toxic to both humans and wildlife.

(Reference:http://chm.pops.int)

Dirty Dozen​

There are 12 POPs that are most known today. They are often referred to "The Dirty Dozen."

1. Aldrin - An organochlorine insecticide
2. Chlordane - A manufactured pesticide
3. DDT - A synthetic pesticide
4. Dieldrin - An insecticide
5. Endrin - An insecticide
6. Heptachlor - An insecticide
7. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) - A fungicide
8. Mirex - An insecticide
9. PCBs - Coolants/insulating fluids
10. PCDDs (Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins) - Dioxin
11. Polychlorinated dibenzofurans - Dioxin
12. Toxaphene - An insecticide