Persistent organic pollutants

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that do not break down in the environment. They can travel long distances and build up in the bodies of plants and animals. They are a danger to human health and the environment.

The manufacture, sale and use of POPs is now banned in the UK. There are specific exemptions and accepted uses that may allow the use of materials or products containing POPs.

What substances are persistent organic pollutants?

POPs can be grouped into pesticides, industrial chemicals and POPs that are released accidentally from combustion and some industrial processes, such as burning material and fuels. Some POPs may belong to more than one group.

POPs can be grouped into pesticides, industrial chemicals and POPs that are released accidentally from combustion and some industrial processes, such as burning material and fuels. Some POPs may belong to more than one group.

Pesticides

  • Aldrin
  • Alpha-Hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH)
  • Beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH)
  • Chlordane
  • Chlordecone
  • DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)
  • Dicofol
  • Dieldrin
  • Endosulfan
  • Endrin
  • Heptachlor
  • Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) (also an industrial chemical)
  • Lindane (Gamma-Hexachlorocyclohexane, γ-HCH)
  • Methoxychlor
  • Mirex
  • Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF) (also an industrial chemical)
  • Pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) also an industrial chemical)
  • Toxaphene

Industrial chemicals

  • Decabromodiphenyl ether (commercial mixture, c-decaBDE)
  • Dechlorane Plus (DP) - (Revoked in Great Britain)
  • Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD)
  • Hexabromodiphenyl ether and heptabromodiphenyl ether (commercial octabromodiphenyl ether)
  • Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) (also a pesticide)
  • Hexachlorobutadiene
  • Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS), its salts, and Perfluorooctane Sulfonyl Fuoride (PFOSF
  • Pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) (also a pesticide)
  • Pentachlorophenol and its salts and esters
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
  • Polychlorinated naphthalenes
  • Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds
  • Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts and PFHxS-related compounds
  • Short-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPs)
  • Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether
  • UV-328 (Revoked in Great Britain)

POPs unintentionally produced as by-products from industrial and combustion processes

  • Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)
  • Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD)
  • Pentachlorobenzene
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) 
  • Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD)
  • Polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF)
  • Polychlorinated naphthalenes

What you must do

You must not manufacture, sell or use POPs.

There are some exceptions to the ban on POPs:

You can use substances or materials containing POPs:

  • for laboratory-scale research
  • as a reference standard, to calibrate scientific or analytical equipment
  • if the POP occurs as an unintentional trace contaminant.

GOV.UK: Using persistent organic pollutants

If you have any stores of POPs or POP-containing substances you must dispose of them correctly. If a material, waste or piece of equipment has a POP concentration at or above the thresholds stated in Annex IV of the POPs Regulation, you must dispose of it in accordance with Annex V, for example, by physico-chemical treatment or incineration.

You will also need to assess if the POP or POP-containing substance or equipment is classed as hazardous/special waste. This will place additional requirements on how you store, transport and dispose of it.

To find out how to assess and dispose of POPs contact your environmental regulator.

Contact your environmental regulator

POPs produced from industrial processes

You must avoid the unplanned release of POPs, for example, dioxins, HCB, PCBs and PAHs, from industrial activities and/or from burning material and fuels. These are the most common POPs in the environment.

Releasing POPs

POPs are only likely to be released from industrial activities that require a PPC permit. You must comply with the conditions in your permit, which will include requirements for controlling POPs releases.

Pollution prevention and control permits

Persistent Organic Pollutants in waste

Sites receiving waste containing POPs

If your waste has a POP concentration at or above the thresholds stated in Annex IV of the POPs Regulation, you must dispose of it safely and in accordance with Annex V, for example, by physico-chemical treatment or incineration.

If a waste contains any concentration of POPs it may be hazardous/special waste. This will place additional requirements on how you store, transport and dispose of it. You will need to assess the level of contaminants in your waste and dispose of it safely.

To find out how to assess and dispose of POPs contact your environmental regulator.

Contact your environmental regulator

Ban on sending upholstered domestic seating that may contain persistent organic pollutants. 

You you must not send waste upholstered domestic seating (WUDS), or wastes arising from their treatment that might contain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), to landfill. 

The ban includes:

  • Sofas
  • Sofa beds
  • Armchairs
  • Kitchen and dining room chairs
  • Stools and foot stools
  • Home office chairs
  • Futons
  • Bean bags
  • Floor and sofa cushions 
  • Electrical chair recliners

The average concentration of Brominated Flame Retardants in domestic seating has been found to be on average 4x the legal concentration limit. 

WUDS containing POPs must be "destroyed or irreversibly transformed". This can be done using municipal waste incinerators, hazardous waste incinerators or cement kilns. 

Disposing and destroying waste that contains POPs

If you wish to dispose of or destroy waste that contains POPs other than by a method approved in Annex V of the POPs Regulation, you must obtain a derogation (permission to carry out an otherwise banned activity) from your environmental regulator. You will be charged a fee for any derogation application and you will have to meet certain strict conditions to get approval.

Contact your environmental regulator

Exemptions

Use of banned or restricted POPs

You must not manufacture, sell or use POPs unless your use is allowed under Annex I or II of the POPs Regulation.

You must notify your environmental regulator if you have more than 50kg of POPs, or substances containing POPs, and your use is allowed.

Note: Any material that contains a POP count towards the 50kg limit, no matter how small the amount of POP in it.

Brominated Diphenyl Ethers (BDEs)

You can make, sell and use products with BDEs only if they are in electrical or electronic equipment that follows RoHS regulations.

Products containing BDEs may still be used if they were already in use in the EU:

  • Before 25 August 2010
  • Before 15 July 2019 for DecaBDE

Decabromodiphenyl Ether (DecaBDE)

Some aircraft and vehicle products are exempt but must be labelled to show they contain DecaBDE.

Perfluorooctane Sulfonates (PFOS)

You can still use PFOS in mist suppressants for hard chromium plating in closed loop systems However, you must limit the release to the environment.

Products containing PFOS may still be used if they were already in use in the EU before 25 August 2010.

Short-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPs)

You can use SCCP products if the concentration is below:

  • 1% for substances
  • 0.15% for manufactured items

You can continue to use mining conveyor belts and dam sealants that were in use before 4 December 2015 and any other SCCP products, If it was in use before 10 July 2012.

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)

You can keep using polystyrene materials with HBCD if they were installed before:

  •  21 February 2019 (expanded polystyrene)
  •  23 June 2016 (extruded polystyrene)

All HBCD containing products made or imported after 23 March 2016 must be labelled.

Perfluorooctanoic Acid PFOA

From 4 July 2025, PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) and related substances are banned in firefighting foams. If you are a business who stores this type of foam, often referred to as C8 and used for Class B fires, you must:

  • Stop using it immediately
  • Decontaminate any systems where it is being used
  • Dispose of the foam safely, via high-temperature incineration. Discharge to sewers, land, watercourses, or on-site drainage is not permitted

Polychlorinated biphenyls in equipment

If you have any equipment containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) you will need to meet a number of other requirements.

See our PCB guidance for further information.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Other POPs exemptions

You can keep using products with the following chemicals if they were already in use in the EU before 10 July 2012.

  • Endosulfan
  • Hexachlorobutadiene
  • Polychlorinated naphthalenes

Further information on POPs

SEPA: Persistent Organic Pollutants

GOV.UK: Persistent organic pollutants

In Scotland you can search for specific information on POPs using the Scottish pollutant release inventory.

SEPA: Scottish pollutant release inventory

 

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