Persistent Problem: Global Challenges to Managing PCBs

Polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs), “famous” as persistent
organic pollutants (POPs), have been managed nationally since the
1970s and globally under the Stockholm Convention on POPs since 2004,
requiring environmentally sound management (ESM) of PCBs by 2028.
At most, 30% of countries are on track to achieve ESM by 2028. Globally
over 10 million tonnes of PCB-containing materials remain, mostly
in countries lacking the ability to manage PCB waste. Canada (Ontario)
and Czechia, both parties to the Stockholm Convention, are close to
achieving the 2028 goal, having reduced their stocks of pure PCBs
by 99% in the past 10 years. In contrast, the USA, not a party to
the Stockholm Convention, continues to have a substantial but poorly
inventoried stock of PCBs and only ∼3% decrease in mass of
PCBs since 2006. PCB management, which depends on Stockholm Convention
support and national compliance, portends major challenges for POP
management. The failure to manage global PCB stocks >30 years after
the end of production highlights the urgent need to prioritize reducing
production and use of newer, more widely distributed POPs such as
chlorinated paraffins and per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances,
as these management challenges are unlikely to be resolved in the
coming decades.