Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Emerging Chemicals of Concern
A. review. on. “Emerging. chemicals. issues. in. developing. countries. and.
countries.with.economy.in.transition”.commissioned.by.the.United.Nation.
Environment. Programme. (UNEP). and. Global. Environment. Facility. (GEF).
has.been.completed.(Wong.et.al..2010),.which.identiies.a.number.of.emerg-
ing.chemicals.of.concern..The.major.aim.of.this.project.was.to.support.GEF's.
immediate.goal.in.its.chemicals.program,.that.is,.to.promote.effective.man-
agement. of. chemicals. throughout. their. lifecycle,. in. ways. that. lead. to. the.
minimization.of.signiicant.adverse.effects.on.human.health.and.the.global.
environment.. The. drafting. group,. with. the. assistance. of. the. Scientiic. and.
Technical. Advisory. Panel. (STAP). of. UNEP,. identiied. a. preliminary. list. of.
emerging.chemicals.issues. based.on.numerous.policy.and.guidance. docu-
ments,.combined.knowledge,.and.active.screening.of.recent.literature.
In.addition.to.the.newly.added.PBDEs.into.the.Stockholm.Convention.on.
POPs,.the.recent.view.has.identiied.some.emerging.chemicals.of.worldwide.
concern,.such.as.Bisphenol.A,.PFOA/PFOS,.pharmaceuticals,.and.personal.
care.products,.such.as.antibiotics..Like.POPs,.these.chemicals.are.highly.per-
sistent,.are.concentrated.in.the.food.chain,.are.accumulated.in.body.lipids,.
and.impose.human.health.hazards..They.may.lead.not.only.to.losses.but.also.
to.the.appearance.of.new.genes.and.ecotypes,.resulting.in.changes.of.struc-
tural.and.functional.biodiversity..Thus,.they.inluence.not.only.monospecies.
but.also.populations.
Bisphenol.A.is.a.high-production-volume.chemical,.as.there.is.an.increas-
ing.demand.for.polycarbonates.and.epoxy.resins..Suspected.of.being.hazard-
ous.to.humans,.concerns.about.the.use.of.BPA.in.consumer.products.were.
regularly.reported.in.the.news.media.since.2008.after.several.governments.
questioned.its.safety..Some.retailers.have.removed.products.containing.BPA.
from.their.shelves.. The.U.S..Food.and.Drug.Administration. raised.further.
concerns.regarding.exposure.of.fetuses,.infants,.and.young.children.to.BPA.
(USFDA.2010).
Perluorinated. compounds. (PFCs). are. man-made. luorinated. hydrocar-
bons,.which.have.been.manufactured.since.late.1940s.(Paul.et.al..2009)..Their.
products. possess. distinctive. surface-active. properties,. which. allow. them.
to. be. widely. used. in. coating. formulations,. ire-ighting. foams,. and. lubri-
cants.. Their. exceptional. chemical. stability. and. inertness. also. render. them.
suitable. for. extensive. use. in. surface-protecting. agents. (e.g.,. textile,. paper.
products,. and. carpet).. These. substances. are. now. widespread. in. different.
ecological.compartments,.biota,.and.human.tissues.(Fromme.et.al..2009,.Paul.
et. al.. 2009).. Our. recent.study. analyzing. 20.species. of.common.marine. and.
freshwater.ish.available.in.Hong.Kong.markets.showed.that.mandarin.ish.
(a.freshwater.carnivore,.commonly.cultivated.in.South.China,.under.dense.
culture).contained.the.highest.concentrations.of.both.bisphenol.A.and.PFCs.
(Wei.et.al..2010,.Zhao.et.al..2010).
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