Sources, assessment, remediation and prevention of persistent organic pollutants. The ecocycle-model as a solution. Swedish case studies, environmental monitoring and legislation

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants are either deliberately produced substances by the industry for a wide range of applications or occurred as byproducts from various activities, such as industrial or combustion processes. Despite a considerable decrease in POP levels during the last decades, unintentional production and accumulation of these substances still occur, mostly due to uncontrolled combustion processes, the lack of life cycle assessment and long-range transboundary air pollution. Remediation methods (mostly phytoremediation) are being developed in order to reduce POPs in the environment, but there are some legal obstacles of certain methods involving the application of transgenic plants, which might offer a fairly fast solution, provided that the precautionary principle is not compromised. The proper life-cycle analysis of industrial products, the combination of bio-energy crop production, constructed wetlands, reed-beds and phytoremediation resulting in complete agro-ecocycles, may constitute the basis of a sustainable, poison-free society. Sweden has the strictest and most comprehensive environmental legislation in Europe. The Swedish Government commissioned the Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate jointly with the Swedish Environment Protection Agency to prepare a national implementation plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The ecocyclemodel should provide the most suitable solution for reducing the level of POPs or eliminating these substances from the environment.