Page 3 - Policy brief on persistent organic pollutants in Indian environment: A wake-up call for concerted action
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Policy Brief

Persistent organic pollutants persist in the system by different stakeholders. Recognizing the importance
for decades causing health problems such as cancer, of regulating the manufacturing, import, or use of POPs
birth defects, learning disabilities, and immunological, and other toxic chemical substances, the Government
behavioural, neurological, and reproductive disorders of India has been supporting capacity building and
in humans and animals. Rivers such as the Ganges, providing technical assistance to industrial stakeholders.
which pass through vast industrial and agricultural areas Since 1970, India has signed many international and
with huge fish-eating populations, are at high risk from regional environmental treaties and enacted a number
contamination with POPs (Table 1), and especially of provisions aimed at controlling the risk of chemical
vulnerable are children, the elderly, and those with contamination and protecting human and environmental
diseases that suppress the immune system. health. In India, both legal and management aspects
related to protection from chemical risks are part of
Table 1: Exposure pathways through various contact media the responsibilities of the central government, which
are discharged through state ministries and a range of
Exposure Indoor exposure pathways Contact medium governmental agencies that manage various aspects of
pathways chemical pollution. The resulting legislative and executive
frameworks are comprehensive but fragmentary,
Oral Dust ingestion Dust because different stages of the management of chemicals
(registration, production, import, etc.) are under the
Drinking contaminated water Groundwater and surface jurisdiction of different authorities.
water
India is home to a population of almost 1.21 billion,
Consumption of fish and meat Fish- or meat-based diet with an extensive agriculture sector and a rapidly
growing industrial sector. Despite India’s regular
Consumption of contaminated Milk participation in various treaties and conventions aimed
milk at protecting environmental and human health from the
risk from chemicals (MoEF 2011), available information
Consumption of contaminated Eggs, fruit, vegetables, etc. on environmental and human exposure to major classes
foot of chemicals of concern including such legacy POPs as
dioxins, furans, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers
Inhalation Air inhalation Indoor/outdoor air (PBDEs) remains fragmentary: in fact, a review of
historically available data on POPs (Sharma et al. 2014a)
Air-borne dust inhalation Indoor/outdoor air-borne dust showed that the structure and the amount of available
data are inadequate for ascertaining whether the levels
Inhalation of water vapour Drinking water of these strongly regulated contaminants are declining
while bathing or swimming after the Stockholm Convention was adopted.

Dermal Dust contact Dust Most of the POPs that are pesticides have been banned
for intentional use in India since 1983. Because 80% of
Contact with water while bath- Drinking water, swimming the country’s population lives in areas at risk from malaria
(MoEF 2011), India is authorized to produce on average
ing or swimming pool water 5000 tonnes of DDT annually for the control of vector-
borne disease. Similarly, although banned for agricultural
Safe and sustainable management of POPs in India would use, lindane (γ-HCH) was also allowed, specifically for
be the key to achieving the targets of the Sustainable termite control, up to 24 March 2013 (CIBRC 2014).
Development Goal (SDG)12, one of the sustainable Between 1980 and 2012, India produced about 4500
development goals set by the United Nations, and tonnes of endosulfan a year, making the country one of
requires a strong national framework for sustainable the biggest producers and consumers of this pesticide
consumption and production that is integrated into (Sharma et al. 2014b). Import and export of wastes or
national and sectoral plans, sustainable business practices, articles contaminated with PCBs are prohibited under
and consumer behaviour, together with adherence to the Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules,
international norms of the management of hazardous
chemicals and wastes such as POPs.

Current status of persistent organic pollutants
in India

India is an industrialized country and the chemical sector
provides a dynamic environment for the development
of legislation related to the management of chemicals
with diverse, and often conflicting, positions expressed

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