Actual Conditions and Alternative Materials for the Pesticides containing Persistent Organic Pollutants in South Korea

A global binding agreement was adopted with the leading of United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) on May 22, 2001 in Stockholm to regulate the production and distribution on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The agreement took effectuation with the ratification of 59 countries from the approval of 151 countries on May 17, 2004. After the approval on October 4, 2001, South Korea performed systematical investigation on POP-related substances such as chlordane, dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT), hexachlorobenzenes (HCB), heptachlor, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to get ready for the ratification of the convention with country-specific exemption. The domestic distributions of those chemical substances have been officially prohibited since the late 1960s to the early 1980s. Although there were occasional reports for the detection of some of those chemical substances, those performed minute signification in their existence in the environment. A series of investigation with documentary examination and fact-finding survey showed the possibility for the ratification on the convention without country-specific exemption.