Abhatoo - Centre Nationale de Documentation

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are among the most dangerous pollutants released in the environment. These highly toxic organic compounds include pesticides, industrial chemicals, such as heat-resistant compounds used primarily in electrical equipment, and substances generated as by-products of incomplete combustion and chemical processes. They cause an array of health effects in humans and animals—disease and birth defects—leading to increased morbidity and mortality in exposed populations. Specifically, the effects can be cancer, allergies and hypersensitivity, damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, reproductive disorders, and disruption of the immune system. Some POPs are endocrine disrupters, which can damage the reproductive and immune systems of exposed individuals as well as their offspring.