Issue 10. June 2004
Guest Editorial Comment:
Dr. Yeru Huang, Deputy Director
Sino-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection
The UNU international Symposium, "Impacts of Persistent Organic Pollutants from Urban
Areas・was held on 24-25 May, 2004 in the Conference Hall of
Sino-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection, Beijing, China. This symposium
was jointly organized by UNU and Sino-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental
Protection. It was part of a UNU program that focuses on Environmental Monitoring and
Governance in the East Asian Coastal Hydrosphere and the fifth international symposium in
this series. This monitoring program is implemented with support from Shimadzu
Corporation, Japan. The symposium gathered program participants from eight countries
(Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and
China), invited lecturers from five countries (Australia, Japan, Sweden, USA and China)
and more than 130 scientific researchers, technicians and students from more than 20 local
environmental monitoring stations, 17 universities and 14 institutes in China.
Mr. Ouyang Ne, the General Engineer of Sino-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection hosted the opening ceremony. Mr. Luo Yi, Vice Director of Science and Technology Department, State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), Prof. Keiichiro Fuwa, the UNU senior advisor and Mr. Chen Yanping, Director of Sino-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection delivered the opening addresses. Afterwards, Dr. Zafar Adeel, the UNU Projector Manager introduced the UNU project in East Asia. A followed keynote presentation entitled "An overview of POPs in Urban Areas・was given by Prof. Bo Jansson from Institute of Applied Environmental Research of University of Stockholm. Other officers from SEPA including Ms. Yu Fei, Chief of Solid Waste Section, Pollution Control Department and Ms. Wang Qian, Chief of International Cooperation Section, International Cooperation Department attended the opening ceremony.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food chain, 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 the human population, can cause serious health effects ranging from increased incidence of cancers to disruption of the hormonal system. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable due to the often indiscriminate use and disposal of POPs in a wide variety of land-based activities, including domestic and industrial wastes, pharmaceutical applications and pesticide use. Among the 12 POPs under the control of the Stockholm Convention, there are 9 organic chlorine pesticides. One of the aims with the symposium was to sum up the finished monitoring phase in 2003, which included analysis of some pesticidal POPs in water, sediments and soils. In addition to the leading researchers from China, experts from Europe, Australia, USA and Japan presented their most recent research on the subject of POPs. Researchers from the eight countries presented the status of coastal, riverine and land pollutions in their respective countries.
China used to produce and use organic chlorine pesticides in a large quantity, such as DDT. Most of pesticidal POPs have been forbidden decades ago. However, DDT, chlordane, mirex and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) are still produced in China for limited usages. Since China is one of the main countries that produce and consume pesticides, it will be the predominant content in formulation Chinese NIP of implementation POPs Convention that the basic status of pesticidal POPs are surveyed, analyzed and assessed totally. Presentations of Organochlorine Pesticides in the Air around Taihu Lake, China・by Prof. Zhu Tong from College of Environmental Science, Peking University and POPs pollution and Control Technologies in Urban Area・by Prof. Yu Gang from POPs Research Center, Tsinghua University demonstrated that because of historical productions and usages, current illegal or unknown usages and existing productions of pesticidal POPs, environmental pollutions caused by pesticidal POPs in urban areas in China are still very critical. The Chinese government has given great concern about POPs and preparation for implementation of POPs Convention. Dr. Zhang Qingfeng, an officer of POPs Convention Implementation Office of SEPA, displayed the POPs status, POPs Action, challenges of Convention implementation, preliminary plan for POPs program and future POPs Projects in China in the symposium.
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