Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP)
D3. Marine environmental science, pollution and conservationDefinition
Long-lived bioaccumulative toxic substance regulated under the Stockholm Convention.
Persistent organic pollutants are synthetic carbon-based chemicals that resist degradation, accumulate in fatty tissue, biomagnify up food chains, and travel long distances on air and ocean currents, reaching the Arctic far from any source. The Stockholm Convention (2001) restricts an expanding list including PCBs, DDT, dioxins, and several brominated and per-fluorinated compounds. Top marine predators such as orcas carry POP burdens high enough to impair reproduction.
Source: Stockholm Convention (2001)