National Implementation Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Management in Türkiye.

The National Implementation Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Management in Türkiye lays down short, medium and long term actions for effective management of POPs in accordance with the Stockholm Convention. The main strategy objectives of the NIP are as follows: (i) effective implementation of legislation related to the management of POPs and publishing or revising the legislations regarding the prohibition of the production, use, import and export of new POPs; (ii) continuous update of inventory of existing and new POPs as a tool for decision making process; (iii) elimination of POP releases into the environment especially reduction of unintentional POPs releases; (iv) elimination of POPs stockpiles; (v) promotion and application of Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices principles as key principles of the future industrial development strategy and for elimination of POPs stockpiles and remediation of contaminated sites; (vi) updating inventory of contaminated sites with special attention to POPs; and (vii) preparation and implementation of national monitoring programs.
The national priority areas for the management of POPs are as follows: (I) legislative applications including regulation and enforcement, involvement of the management of POPs policies in the development strategies of Türkiye; (II) inventory of emissions, releases, stockpiles and contaminated sites for POPs; (III) identification of relevant sectors for past use of POPs and past and current production of unintentional POPs; (IV) reduction of releases of intentionally and unintentionally produced POPs; (V) effective auditing, capacity building and promotion of the implementation of Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices in industry and for remediation of contaminated sites; (VI) public education and awareness raising; (VII) nation-wide long term monitoring and control of public health and the environment; (VIII) information exchange and networking, inter-ministerial coordination; and (IX) research and development for identification of POPs in environmental matrices, technical materials, products, wastes, and human matrices, remediation of contaminated sites, investigation of human exposure to POPs and identification of safer alternatives. In order to control and regulate the export of Annex A and Annex B chemicals, the draft Regulation on Export and Import of Some Hazardous Chemicals will be published to implement and enforce the provisions of Rotterdam Convention and set the principles of Prior Informed Procedure in international trade of chemicals including POPs. Comprehensive long term POPs monitoring plan will be developed, incorporating the assessment of POPs levels in the environment and humans. Necessary auditing for water, soil, air quality, generated wastes, as well as food stuff will be controlled by regulatory actions, and funding opportunities will be constituted for national laboratories, research institutions and universities to carry out such studies. The legal framework will be strengthened to prohibit the export of POPs as pure chemicals or products, to control the export of POPs pesticides, to include emission limits for other unintentional POPs, and to prohibit production, use, placing on the market and import of deca-BDE, hexa-BDE, hepta-BDE, tetra-BDE, penta-BDE, PFOS and short-chain chlorinated paraffins. Regular control of the implementation of the NIP measures and continuous upgrade of national POPs inventory will be supported. The management of POPs pesticides will be strengthened by updating the inventory of agrochemical stores, storages, and contaminated sites; controlling existing storage sites and dumping sites; conducting inspections; and taking measures to prevent accidents or leakage. PCBs inventory of closed, semi closed and open PCB sources will be updated, especially identifying products and materials containing PCBs in open applications. The stockrooms of PCB containing wastes and equipments will be regularly controlled. Environmentally sound management will be promoted and Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices will be applied for the purification and disposal of transformers and capacitors, disposal of PCBs and PCB containing wastes in related industries. The management of BFRs will be improved through the identification of direct uses of PBDEs and HBCD, the locations of storage and waste disposal locations, and regularly updating BFR inventories. The main activities regarding management of PFOS include data collection on PFOS wastes, stockpiles and PFOS contaminated sites, improvement of inventory on PFOS and related chemicals, and application of Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices in the relevant industries. Activities will be carried out to reduce releases of unintentional production of POPs, including the preparation and regular update of national emission inventory and implementation of Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices. POPs stockpiles, articles in use and wastes will be identified for the assessment and management of releases from stockpiles and wastes. The Contaminated Site Information System will be updated to cover POPs chemicals. The information exchange system will be developed for international conventions related to chemicals management in cooperation with related institutions. Public awareness will be raised on the effects of POPs chemicals on human health and environment and POPs, POPs waste and unintentional POPs management.