POPS PRODUCERS


POPs in the Arctic

A good - though not the only- indication for persistence in the environent is the presence of POPs in remote areas such as the Arctic or deep oceans. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) has identified a number of POPs that are not in the UNEP list but that are present in the Arctic (Table 2). These POPs are of concern because of their global distribution via air and water currents. However, some POPs may be reaching the Arctic primarily through their usage. One such example is TBT. Primary use of TBT is as anti-fouling in ship paints. Elevated levels of TBT are usually found near shipping lanes and harbours, including in the Arctic.

POPs of direct concern in the Arctic include the 12 POPs prioritised for action by the United Nations Environment Programme. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) identified a number of other POPs of concern for the Arctic. The UNEP and AMAP POPs that are of concern for the Arctic are listed in Table 4. Most of these POPs are of concern because of their global distribution via air and water currents. However, some POPs may be reaching the Arctic primarily through their usage. One such an example is TBT. Primary use of TBT is as anti-fouling in ship paints and TBT is usually found in the area of shipping lanes and harbours, including in the Arctic.


Local Arctic POPs sources

There are only few POPs sources located in the Arctic. Local/regional sources in the Arctic include PCB's at military sites. PCBs were in use in electrical equipment at the Arctic radar stations in North America, Greenland, and Scandinavia, and presumably also in Russian facilities. In North America, disposal practices resulted in PCBs entering the local environment. Similar problems may have occurred in Russian facilities, but they are currently undocumented (AMAP 1998).

There are some (suspected) local dioxin sources in the Arctic or just outside the Arctic. These include waste incineration and wood burning for heating in Finland, Canada and Alaska and waste incineration in Greenland. Other suspected sources include steel mills located in Arctic Sweden, Russia and Norway. Overall, metal smelting and other combustion related processes within the Arctic could be important contributors to the background levels of contamination (AMAP 1998). There has been some insecticide use in the Arctic area, e.g. there is evidence of DDT at military early warning system sites (DEW-line) (AMAP 1998).

However, most POPs sources are located outside the Arctic and POPs reach the Arctic via air and water currents.

Tables and Details of specific POPs in the Arctic and their producers