persistent organic pollutant (POP)

Chemicals that don’t break down in the environment for long periods of time, accumulate in living tissue of plants and animals, and can travel in the air for long distances . POPs have been linked to adverse effects on human health and animals, such as cancer, damage to the nervous system, reproductive disorders, and disruption of the immune system. POPs can be found in soil, sediment, food, wildlife and humans. The amount in plants and animals tends to magnify up the food chain, so that predatory animals have the highest concentrations. There is a global effort underway to reduce emissions of POPs.