The UNDP-GEF POPs Resource Kit - International POPs Elimination ...

Introduction
Persistent Organic Pollutants and
Sustainable Human Development
The deleterious human health and environmental effects of exposure to Persistent
Organic Pollutants (POPs) are well documented worldwide and have provided impetus to the
preparation of an international legal instrument aimed at phasing out POPs. However,
relatively less emphasis has been placed on the socio-economic, cultural and other societal
costs and consequences associated with POPs. The emerging picture, notably, shows that the
constituencies most affected in society are generally the most vulnerable and marginalised
groups, i.e. the rural and urban poor, and especially women and children.
There are a number of reasons why poor and vulnerable groups of society are often
much more exposed to and affected by POPs. The urban poor typically reside in areas
adjacent to major sources of POPs. For example, hazardous waste sites, incinerators, leaking
controlled or uncontrolled landfill sites and waste dumps, and polluting industries are often
located in the vicinity of low-income or minority populated areas, such as urban slums,
exposing these groups to much higher burdens of pollutants including POPs.
Outside of urban areas, it is often the rural poor settlements that are more prone to
illnesses like malaria, often increasing the exposure of these populations to malaria control
POPs like DDT. The continuing legal and illegal use of POPs pesticides among the rural
poor, especially in agriculture, further increases their exposure to and health risk from such
POPs.
POPs, Health and Poverty
The diminished socio-economic opportunities of the rural and urban poor can be
further reduced by the ill-health and environmental degradation resulting from exposure to
POPs. In concert, these effects of POPs can lead to a declining spiral of poverty, including
contaminated resource base, declining food quality, deteriorating mental and physical health,
and reduced livelihood potential.
One of the most worrying aspects of POPs is their effect on children. Mothers may
transfer as much as one-fifth of their total toxic body burden into their infant children, both
before and after birth. There is ample evidence that fetal exposure to POPs affects the mental
and physical development of children. As POPs concentrate in fatty tissue, these chemicals
can become highly concentrated in breast milk. Therefore, infants can be further exposed to
high levels of POPs through breast feeding.
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