A major United Nations meeting opened this week in Geneva to consider banning the pesticide chlorpyrifos and two other toxic compounds linked to long-lasting environmental and health effects.
Leigh Krietsch Boerner reports for Chemical & Engineering News.
In short:
- The Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm conventions is weighing a global ban on chlorpyrifos, medium-chain chlorinated paraffins, and long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs).
- The Stockholm Convention's review committee has already recommended banning the three substances, citing known hazards such as developmental and neurological harm, and disruptions to thyroid function.
- Negotiators will also discuss cross-border chemical waste movements and guidelines for disposal, with implications for future plastics treaty talks later this summer.
Key quote:
“Chemicals are an integral part of the modern world. But too often, exposure to harmful chemicals through food, consumer products, and the environment can have severe consequences for people and the planet.”
— Jacqueline Alvarez, chief of the chemicals and health branch at the United Nations Environment Programme
Why this matters:
Chlorpyrifos, once widely used in agriculture, has been linked to serious neurodevelopmental harm in children, even at low levels of exposure. Although some countries have banned it, others — including the United States — still allow its use on certain crops. The two other chemicals under consideration, medium-chain chlorinated paraffins and LC-PFCAs, persist in the environment for years and bioaccumulate in living organisms. These chemicals belong to a broader class of pollutants that contribute to long-term environmental degradation and health problems, including hormone disruption and potential cancer risks. Many are used in everyday products—plastics, coatings, flame retardants—making exposure nearly unavoidable.
The Stockholm Convention's goal is to eliminate such persistent organic pollutants globally. But the negotiations are also entangled with industry interests and geopolitical pressures. The decisions made in Geneva could help shape global standards for how we manage toxic chemicals embedded in consumer products, waste streams, and supply chains.
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