Occurrence, Distribution, and Fate of Emerging Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Environment

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a group of organic molecules that resist natural degradation, bioaccumulate in the food web and organisms, and have serious health consequences. POPs are vulnerable to long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT), resulting in transboundary deposition, due to their lengthy residence duration in the climate and semi-volatility nature. POPs are poisonous, resistant to degradation, and bioaccumulative and have a wide spatial distribution, all of which have been related to mutagenic, reproductive, and immunological diseases. A global accord was reached at the Stockholm Convention to reduce and eventually eradicate the discharge of POPs directly into the environment. Organohalogenated chemicals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and pesticides are examples of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that can be produced in a wide range of environmental compartments. Their existence in the aquatic environment is a global issue, with sediments serving as a store and hence a source of hydrophobic, stubborn, and toxic substances. Furthermore, because these pollutants vary in their capacity to bioaccumulate in tissues, they may impact the reproduction and death of living species. Organochlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and dioxins are among the synthetic compounds classified as persistent organic pollutants. Environmental persistence, transboundary movement, lipophilicity, and bioaccumulation are all characteristics of these organic pollutants, which might result in biomagnification-induced death, especially in top-ranked biota. POPs accumulate in the oceanic ecosystems, which is why they are so important. Despite the ubiquity of POPs and the biotic impacts they induce, there is a lack of information on their occurrences and their destiny in the environment. Organohalogenated chemicals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides are examples of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that can be found in a variety of environmental compartments. Their existence in the aquatic environment is a global issue, with sediments serving as a storehouse and, as a result, a source of hydrophobic, persistent, and toxic substances. The presence of these persistent hazardous compounds in sediments indicates that aquatic contamination has occurred as a result of agricultural, industrial, and urban discharges, raising concerns about possible dangers to aquatic species, wildlife, and humans. This chapter aims to provide an updated comprehensive overview of the occurrence, distribution, and fate aspects of POPs. In addition, the chemical structures and properties of specific POPs are discussed.