National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants for Sweden.

The National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants for Sweden (2006) has as objective to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants, and this is possible through decrease human exposure via food intake, decrease human exposure from products, decrease releases to the environment from diffuse, secondary and primary sources. The Document then identifies a Strategy to achieve the objective above and organizes it in 4 Steps: Step 1 - Identify substances that fulfil the criteria of the Convention; Identify sources and exposure pathways for such substances; Obtain better data and knowledge on formation, release, dispersion, cycling and exposure pathways. Step 2 - Identify and evaluate effective measures to reduce use, formation, release and exposure; Set clear priories among measures. Step 3 - Implement measures such as guidance, information, licensing, supervision, regulations and other policy instruments. Step 4 - Evaluate and improve or take further measures if necessary.
The Plan then discusses the Activities. 1) institutional and regulatory strengthening measures - No further institutional or regulatory measures are needed for the twelve POPs currently covered by the Convention. 2) Measures to reduce or eliminate releases from intentional production and use - Sweden has already taken the steps needed under the Convention to prevent the production, import and export and use for the intentional POPs included in the Convention however, Sweden took further steps to identify other substances and incorporate them into the Convention. 3) Production, import and export, use, stockpiles and wastes of Annex A POPs pesticides (Annex A, part 1 chemicals) - all Annex A pesticides have for a long time been banned in Sweden, and no further measures are needed with regard to the production, import and export or use of these substances. There are no known large stockpiles or wastes containing Annex A POPs pesticides. Remaining stockpiles are to be found in private households and small enterprises such as farms. 4) Production, import and export, use, identification, labelling, removal, storage and disposal of PCBs and equipment containing PCBs (Annex A, part II chemicals) - regulatory measures have been introduced with regard to the production, import and export, use, identification, labelling, removal, storage and disposal of PCBs and equipment containing PCBs. A new ordinance currently in preparation deals with the ongoing use of these chemicals in sealants and flooring materials in buildings. 5) Production, import and export, use, stockpiles and wastes of DDT (Annex B chemicals) - it has long been banned in Sweden, and no further measures need to be taken with regard to the production, import and export or use of the substance. Remaining stockpiles may be found in private households and small enterprises such as farms. 6) Register of specific exemptions and the continuing need for exemptions - N/A. 7) Measures to reduce releases from unintentional production - actions have been taken but the environmental load of unintentionally produced POPs is still too high. It is not known which sources contribute significantly to the present environmental load; lack of reliable data on emissions from certain primary sources makes it difficult to exclude them from the overall picture. Further actions include: improved self-monitoring and reduce cost for analysis, further reduction in certain sector, diffuse sources, landfill fires, etc. 8) Measures to reduce releases from stockpiles and wastes (article 6) - there are no known stockpiles of POPs wastes. 9) Identification of stockpiles, articles in use and waste - pesticides included were banned as early as the 1970s, remaining stockpiles are to be found in private households and small enterprises such as farms. Waste of this type may come to light when the estate of a deceased person is distributed or a farm is discontinued. 10) Manage stockpiles and appropriate measures for handling and disposal of articles in use - no major stockpiles are expected to emerge. 11) Identification of contaminated sites (Annex A, B and C Chemicals) and remediation in an environmentally sound manner - a method has been developed for assessing risks on a uniform basis and with a reasonable degree of reliability. Risk assessment is based on environmental quality criteria for contaminated sites, including a method for risk classification. The method is known as MIFO (in Swedish, short for Method for Inventories of Contaminated Sites). The identification of contaminated sites is now almost complete.