According to a new progress report from the European Commission, the EU's formal adoption of a persistent organic pollutant (POPs) regulation in 2004 was a significant achievement, especially after a considerable period of controversy. The regulation primarily aims to reduce the levels of harmful substances such as dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Each country must publish a product catalogue and an improvement plan, which forms the basic tool for the minimum release limits of dioxins, furans, and PCBs required by the 2004 POPs regulation (EED 07\/06\/04). Some member states have already adopted this improvement plan, while others are still in the preparation stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this year, the Committee adopted an EU-level improvement plan (EED 27\/03\/07) to implement POPs regulations. It emphasizes the need to properly enforce existing laws to curb substances such as dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls, such as the Improved Pollution Control Act (IPPC) and the obsolete Structure Directive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
POPs are also considered the best technical reference documents for review under the IPPC directives, and the new specifications that deprecated two POPs (EED 27\/02\/07 and EED 12\/07\/06) were adopted last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This progress report also commends a new industrial emissions data registration system with lower reporting thresholds for substances such as dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls (EED 06\/02\/06).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, it also noted that in EU countries, dioxin emissions from household products may contribute 45% of the total dioxin levels in the air. The committee recommended that the public be aware of this and advised small factories to facilitate information exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n