Session on Soils and Sediments on the Dioxin at the 35th International Symposium on Halogenated Persistent Organic Pollutants (Dioxin 2015)

Title

Sources and fate of halogenated organic persistent pollutants in soils and sediments

Objective

A better understanding of global cycling and more precise data on the emissions of pollutants will facilitate a better estimate of the global load of pollutants. 

The aim of our session is to describe by which extent soils and sediments are polluted and what the present threats to soils are.

Description

The 68th General Assembly of the UN has declared 2015 the UN-year of soils. The pollution of soils by halogenated organic compounds is ongoing although there is a bundle of global acting conventions and processes (Stockholm, Rotterdam, Basle, SAICM) to ban persistent pollutants and to prevent further global contamination. Up to know it is increasingly difficult to estimate the global burden of halogenated organic pollutants.

The session shall discuss the following topics:

-          By which extent suffer soils from pollution of halogenated organic compounds emitted by e.g. industrial activities, personal care products, agrochemicals. 

-          Are there emerging sources of halogenated compounds causing soil and sediment pollution

-          Which soils serve as a source or reservoirs of pollutants, and which soils solely receive input of POPs via atmospheric deposition. 

-          What data on the pollution of soils and sediments do we have to estimate the global load of halogenated persistent organic pollutants.