TORONTO, ON (JUNE 1, 2022) – A new analysis by researchers at Masaryk University, the University of Toronto, and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) has found most countries are not on track to remove their stocks of highly hazardous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by the 2028 deadline set forth in the Stockholm Convention, the global chemicals management treaty. The report found more than 10 million tonnes of PCB-containing materials remain and pose public health and environmental threats globally.
Additional findings from the report Persistent Problem: Global Challenges to Managing PCBs , published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology , include:
PCBs are persistent organic pollutants and carcinogens and were widely used for their insulating and flame retardant properties. PCBs were banned in the late 1970s by many countries, including the U.S. and Canada, but the chemicals are still present in transformers, capacitors, and building materials in many countries.
The following are statements from the co-authors of the report:
“We’re only six years out from the Stockholm Convention’s deadline to responsibly eliminate PCB stocks, but shockingly little progress has been made.” – Lisa Melymuk, Assistant Professor of Environmental Chemistry, Masaryk University
“With effective regulations and good governance, Canada has successfully managed and destroyed its PCB stocks. However, evidence suggests that Canada has not applied this ‘lesson learned’ for PCBs to other highly hazardous chemicals.” – Miriam Diamond, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences and School of the Environment, University of Toronto
“Global mismanagement and inequities make elimination of these persistent chemicals unlikely. This analysis is an international wake-up call to limit the production of hazardous chemicals, like PCBs. We just can’t clean up the mess that they create.” – Veena Singla, Senior Scientist, NRDC
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Environmental Science & Technology
Case study
Persistent Problem: Global Challenges to Managing PCBs
1-Jun-2022
The authors declare no competing financial interest