On March 5, 2018, Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) issued new Regulation on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) Rules, 2018 The document bans manufacturing, trade, use, import, and export of the seven toxic chemicals listed under the Stockholm Convention, namely:

• Chlordecone  
• Hexabromobiphenyl  
• Hexabromodiphenyl ether and Heptabromodiphenyl ether (commercial octa-BDE)  
• Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether (commercial penta-BDE)  
• Pentachlorobenzene  
• Hexabromocyclododecane  
• Hexachlorobutadine

India signed the Convention in May 2002 and ratified it in January 2006. The convention mainly aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of all intentionally produced POPs found in industrial chemicals and pesticides.

POPs are organic chemical substances, toxic to both humans and wildlife, which once released into the environment remain intact for years on end, become widely distributed throughout the environment as a result of natural processes involving soil, water, and air, and accumulate in the fatty tissues of living organisms including humans.

The rules will come into force from March 5, 2019.

The rules, however, clarified that these chemicals, may be used, sold or imported in quantities as required for research and development activities in central universities, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research laboratories, government institutions or other research institutions or accredited laboratories in the government or private sector after the approval of MoEF&CC.

The official document can be found here.

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The information has been prepared by the GMA Consult Group team. ‍

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