UN scientific committee agrees that polybrominated dioxins and furans and mixed polybrominated and polychlorinated dioxins and furans meet all criteria for persistent organic pollutants but defers its decision on moving to the next stage for global action under the Stockholm Convention.
Rome, 7 October 2025 – International experts meeting under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants agreed that newly proposed groups of toxic chemicals—polybrominated dioxins and furans and mixed polybrominated and polychlorinated dioxins and furans—meet all the criteria to be considered persistent organic pollutants (POPs). However, the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) was unable to reach full consensus on whether global control measures are warranted at this stage.
The decision, taken at the Committee’s twenty-first meeting in Rome (29 September–3 October 2025), means that the Committee will continue its work on these chemicals, with a particular focus on information related to long-range environmental transport and adverse effects on human health. If the Committee agrees at a future meeting to move to the next stage in the process of controlling chemicals under the Convention, the proposed chemicals would be forwarded to the governing body of the Convention—the Conference of the Parties—for a final decision on global action and control. Given the deferred decision by the Committee, the earliest date at which the chemicals may be added to the Stockholm Convention by such a decision of the Conference of the Parties would be in 2029.
“The discussions reflected the Committee’s commitment to scientific rigour and consensus-based decision- making,” said Peter Dawson, Chair of the POPs Review Committee. “While further dialogue is needed, there is clear recognition that these substances meet the key criteria for persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and toxicity.”
Although these brominated and mixed dioxins and furans are not yet listed under the Convention, countries already have legal obligations and practical tools to address similar pollutants.
Under the Stockholm Convention, Parties must promote best available techniques (BAT) and best environmental practices (BEP) to prevent and minimize releases of unintentional POPs, including polychlorinated dioxins and furans.
Because the sources and formation mechanisms are similar, these same approaches—improving waste management, ending open burning, and controlling recycling of plastic waste and electronic and electrical waste (e-waste)—can also effectively reduce emissions of brominated and mixed dioxins.
“The Committee’s diligence continues to ensure that there is a sound basis for decision-making by all Parties,” said Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. “By applying best available techniques to manage plastic waste and e-waste and prevent open burning, we can protect human health and the environment today from these chemicals.”
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NOTES TO EDITORS
A legacy and a new challenge
Dioxins and furans were among the original “dirty dozen” chemicals that spurred the negotiation and adoption of the Stockholm Convention more than 20 years ago. The current discussions reflect the Convention’s ongoing scientific vigilance and its capacity to respond to new and emerging chemical threats.
The Committee’s deliberations in Rome have strengthened and continue to strengthen the scientific understanding of these pollutants and their risks. Experts highlighted the need for enhanced monitoring and research to better understand how long-range environmental transport contributes to adverse human health effects.
The proposal, submitted by Switzerland in 2020, seeks to list polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs) and mixed polybrominated and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBCDD/Fs) under Annex C to the Convention, targeting the reduction and ultimate elimination of unintentional releases.
Unlike many other POPs, dioxins and furans are not intentionally produced. They are formed unintentionally during combustion and recycling processes, particularly from materials containing brominated flame retardants. Common sources include open burning of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste), plastic recycling, and waste incineration.
Although trace amounts of brominated dioxins and furans occur naturally, their widespread presence in the environment began in the 1960s, coinciding with the rapid expansion of brominated flame-retardant production and use. Studies show that these brominated and mixed dioxins are now widely present in the environment and in consumer products made from recycled plastics. Alarmingly, children’s toys from 26 countries were found to contain high levels of PBDD/Fs.
Once released, these chemicals persist in the environment for years and can travel great distances through the atmosphere. They have been detected as far away as northern Finland and across remote oceanic regions, at concentrations similar to other well-known dioxins.
They also accumulate in living organisms and move up the food chain, with residues found in fish, marine mammals, livestock, and human tissues worldwide. Their elimination from the human body can take several years, underscoring the risk of chronic exposure.
Like their chlorinated counterparts, brominated dioxins and furans can cause developmental, immune, reproductive, and carcinogenic effects.
Firefighters and e-waste workers show significantly higher exposure levels, while contaminated food remains a major source of intake for the general population. Children are particularly vulnerable—plastic toys made from recycled materials can contribute measurably to their daily dioxin exposure.
For instance, studies have reported egg samples from e-waste sites in Ghana containing up to 300 picograms toxic equivalents (TEQ) per gram of fat, while firefighters’ serum samples showed brominated dioxin levels ten times higher than chlorinated ones.
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants aims to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate in living organisms, and travel long distances. The Convention currently controls 37 chemicals or groups of chemicals, including polychlorinated dioxins and furans, PCBs, DDT, PFOS, and others.
Through its scientific committee, the POPRC, the Convention continues to evaluate newly identified POPs to ensure that the most dangerous chemicals are addressed through global cooperation, sound science, and shared responsibility.
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For information on the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee of the Stockholm Convention, contact: Kei Ohno Woodall, BRS Secretariat Senior Coordination Officer, kei.ohno@un.org
For media inquiries, contact: Maria Cristina Cardenas, Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor of the BRS Secretariat, maria-cristina.cardenas@un.org.