Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemicals found in our food supply. They are termed “persistent” because they aren’t expelled easily.
POPs are sprayed on crops that we eat (or are fed to animals that we eat, further concentrating their dose). POPs permeate soil, flow into rivers and pollute seafood. They bioaccumulate up the food chain, so the larger an animal is, the more risk of POP contamination.
Because POPs concentrate in fat, the more fat a meat has, the more risk of contamination.
Common POPs include:
- aldrin
- chlordane
- dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT)
- dieldrin
- endrin
- heptachlor
- hexachlorobenzene
- mirex
- toxaphene
- polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins(dioxins)
- polychlorinated dibenzofurans (furans)
POPs are endocrine disruptors that produce a wide range of effects on hormones and increase hte risk of cancer.