The main focus of the project is on monitoring of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in rivers and fresh water bodies close to the coastal areas. The objective is to develop an early-warning system to counter and minimize environmental pollution; this will be achieved through periodic and systematic monitoring.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human population and the environment. There has been a realization that these pollutants, upon exposure of human population, can cause serious health effects ranging from increased incidence of cancers to disruption of hormonal system. These effects have also been observed and recorded for various animal species. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable due to often indiscriminate use and disposal of POPs.

There is also significant evidence that there is long-range transport of these substances to regions where they have never been used or produced. The obvious ramification is that POPs pose threats to the environment of the whole globe, and therefore, the international community has focused on global actions to reduce and eliminate releases of these chemicals. It is now internationally acknowledged that Arctic ecosystems and indigenous communities are particularly at risk because of the biomagnification of POPs in the food chain and contamination of traditional foods in the Tundra region is a public health issue.

An equally important issue is to identify future actions needed to minimize and prevent entry of POPs into the environment. This includes re-thinking production processes and utilization of chemicals in various manufacturing activities. It is also critical to develop adequate methodologies for disposal of wastes that contain POPs. Implementing any such remediation approaches in developing countries would likely entail considerable capacity development and technology transfer.

There has been a significant level of debate on these issues at the international level, particularly during the 1990's. This has culminated in the development of the Stockholm Convention On Persistent Organic Pollutants on 22 May 2001; this was a major milestone in the efforts to curb the impacts of POPs. At this time, there are 151 signatories and 11 parties to this convention.

The East Asian region has also been actively involved in the POPs debate. However, there is still a need for developing extensive database of the level of POPs in various compartments of the environment. In its previous activities since 1996, UNU has targeted the monitoring of many POPs compounds. This project builds on the previous work and compiled database of POPs, to launch a comprehensive set of monitoring activities linked closely to thematic discussions on environmental quality. This can lead to concrete mechanisms for identifying existing and impending threats from POPs.

International symposia and workshops on environmental monitoring of POPs are held annually. These meetings include country reports on work in each of the participating countries. Open and scientifically-based discussion on various aspects of POPs management are important in this process. The findings from these meetings are disseminated in the form of a book as well as over the Internet.

This project currently involves a network of eight research centers in different Asian countries, as well as scientists working in Japan.

For information on international environmental monitoring activities and futher information on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), please visit the Global Network for monitoring of Chemicals in the Environment, at UNEP Chemicals

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