ENDS reports: Seven persistent organic pollutants (POPs) will face first-time restrictions in Europe and other regions under a protocol of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) convention on long-range transboundary air pollution following a meeting in late December.

The substances added to the POPs protocol are: hexachlorobutadiene, octabromodiphenyl ether, pentachlorobenzene, pentabromodiphenyl ether, perfluorooctane sulfonates, polychlorinated naphthalenes and short-chain chlorinated paraffins. This brings the number of POPs regulated under the protocol to 23.

Parties to the UNECE convention must now ratify the revised protocol before the restrictions enter force, according to ENDS. Four of the seven substances added to the protocol are already regulated under the Stockholm convention on POPs.

The protocol’s objective is to phase out the use and production of POPs. It applies mainly to European countries, but also Canada and the US. Three of the seven POPs – hexachlorobutadiene, pentachlorobenzene and polychlorinated naphthalenes – face an immediate phase-out.

There are derogations for the other four. For example, the recycling of products containing pentabromodiphenyl ether and octabromodiphenyl ether is exempted. This exemption will be reviewed in 2013. Exemptions for the use and production of perfluorooctane sulfonates and short-chain chlorinated paraffins will be reviewed in 2015.

The changes were agreed at a meeting of parties to the UNECE convention on 14-18 December. The parties also agreed to tighten existing restrictions on four POPs to bring them in line with the Stockholm convention: DDT, heptachlor and hexachlorobenzene will be phased out in Europe, while restrictions on PCBs will be tightened.

The parties also tightened emission limit values for dioxins and furans from new stationary installations from 0.5 nanogram equivalent per cubic metre to 0.1 ng per m3. PCB emissions must be registered in future. They also adopted up-to-date guidance on best available techniques (BATs) to control POP emissions.

The revised protocol will enter force when two-thirds, or 20, of its 29 members have ratified the changes. In future, ratification will be speeded up under a new procedure also adopted in December. The existing POPs protocol was signed in 1998 and entered into force in 2003.

Press release