On 24-25 May 2004, the United Nations University (UNU) will hold an international symposium in Beijing on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs): Impacts of POPs from Urban Areas. This symposium is jointly organized by the UNU and the China-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection, Beijing. The symposium is the fifth in a series under a UNU programme focusing on Environmental Pollution and Governance in the East Asian "Coastal Hydrosphere" - the region's freshwater and seawater coastal environments and the natural living resources contained in them. Speakers from the region and invited experts from other parts of the world will discuss the role of various land-based emission sources in POPs pollution in the coastal areas, particularly highlighting the effects of pollution from urban areas.

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 the hormonal system. These effects have also been observed and recorded for various animal species. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable due to the often indiscriminate use and disposal of POPs. UNU initiated its regional pollution monitoring programme on chemicals in the environment in 1996. Since 1998, this programme has focused on POPs in the coastal waters of East Asia. Nine countries have been involved in this monitoring programme: China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. UNU has undertaken capacity building in this monitoring programme by providing analytical equipment to each country and hands-on training to young laboratory personnel as well as annual funding for implementation of the monitoring. As part of these activities, annual symposia and workshops are held by UNU. The Symposia are held in a different participating country every year, with a thematic focus selected to correspond to their local interest (e.g., 2001 Symposium on Endocrine Disruptors, held in Kuala Lumpur, 2002 Symposium on industrial pollutants held in Seoul, and 2003 Symposium on agrochemical pollutants, held in Hanoi).

For the forthcoming symposium, the focus will be on POPs from urban areas. Numerous urban activities generate pollutants, quite a few of them are POPs. Of particular relevance are groups of chemicals such as PCB's. Also of interest, although they are not recognized under the Stockholm Convention as POPs, are the group of chemicals known as PAH's, and a number of phenols. Within the existing research on POPs, relatively little consideration has been devoted to systematically investigating the POPs pollution originating from urban areas. This topic may be particularly relevant to POPs research in China, where many burgeoning urban centers are undergoing unprecedented development. The Symposium may present a timely opportunity for consideration of this issue.

In addition to Chinese leaders in POPs research, experts from other parts of the world will also present their most recent research on the subject. Researchers from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam will present the status of coastal pollution in their respective countries - a monitoring effort that is part of the UNU Coastal Hydrosphere project. This monitoring project has been undertaken with support from the Shimadzu Corporation of Kyoto, Japan. The Symposium, which will be conducted in English, is open to the public; admission is free, although advance registration is required (please contact the address below). Media representatives are cordially invited to attend.

Contact address:
Dr. Huang Yeru
Associate Professor
China-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection
No. 1 Yuhui Nanlu, Chaoyang District,
Beijing 100029, P. R. China
Phone:+86-10-64947722, +84637722 ext. 2213.
Fax: 010-84634275 or 84636344.
E-mail: yrhuang@163bj.com