They are called "The Dirty Dozen" by the United Nations and "hand-me-down poisons that threaten wildlife and people" by the World Wildlife Fund. These are names for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) What are they? What’s all the fuss? Let’s find out!

First, read this background information:

• What are POPs?
• The POPs project overview
• The POPs project hypothesis
• The Best Butter Blend
• Endocrine Disrupters
• "Fooling with Nature–are man-made chemicals in the environment hazardous to humans?"
  This website has links to many other resources. There is also an online quiz you can take after you have investigated the website.

Then, choose a POP to research. Here is a good place to start: Print out a copy of this POP table so that you can organize your notes (this file is in PDF format). Use it with one of the fact sheets at these websites:

• The Dirty Dozen Fact Sheets
• Hazardous Waste Sites
  At this website you can search more than 1,000 geographic sites in the United States for hazardous materials they contain.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  At this website, you can search for information about environmental and health hazards.

When you find out where the POP is produced and used, mark those countries on a map of the world and a map of a continent.

You can print copies of maps from these websites:

• National Geographic Atlases
• Maps

Now that you know about POPs, find out what is being done to control their production and use. Read about the international treaty that is being reviewed by the world’s countries. Here are some websites that will help you:

• The Stockholm Declaration
• Global Survey of Persistent Organic Pollutants
  This website provides survey information about production and use of POPs, as provided by individual countries.
• The Dirty Dozen
  Good info, a little dated in terms of the treaty.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-New Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants
• The Why Files–the Science Behind the News
  This website features topics in the news. It has an excellent archive of past articles, as well.

For more information, here are additional websites about POPs:

• The Green Lane (Canada)
• Hazardous Waste Sites
• The International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN)
• Physicians for Social Responsibility Monitor
• United Nations Environment Programme
• http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/newlayout/gefrelpro.htm
• World Wildlife Fund