Persons Encouraged to Report Activities That Can Lead to Increase in POPs

Citizens are being encouraged to report activities that can cause an increase in persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA).

These include, but are not limited to, open burning, improper use and/or disposal of agrochemicals and industrial chemicals, elevated temperatures and combustion processes, and unwanted by-products of industrial processes or combustion.

Reporting these activities to NEPA is a proactive step towards environmental protection and pollution prevention, as these pollutants are hazardous chemicals that can remain in the environment for long periods, posing risks to human health and ecosystems.

Speaking recently at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ‘Stop the POP Help Series’, held virtually, Pollution Prevention Branch Manager at NEPA, Bethune Morgan, said that persons need to become more aware of these activities and report them to the agency.

“You really should not be seeing black or white emissions coming out the stacks of companies. If your neighbours are burning garbage, there are entities, such as the National Solid Waste Management Authority, who has responsibility for waste management, that you can call,” she explained.

“If you are passing and you see something that doesn’t quite look too well… report it to the regulators, because we may not be everywhere to see all things,” Ms. Morgan encouraged.

She also took the opportunity to remind citizens that failure to report these activities puts people’s health and communities at great risk.

The Pollution Prevention Branch Manager further encouraged citizens to take responsibility for the products that they buy, as many of them contain POPs.

“Sometimes you’ll see a product [being] promoted as offering UV (ultraviolet) protection. Check to see what that UV protection is, as UV328 has recently been added to the list of POPs to be eliminated,” Ms. Morgan said.

“If we do not turn a blind eye to these things, then we would be advancing the elimination even of the unintentionally generated POPs,” she added.

The agency, through partnerships with the UNDP and the Ministry of Education and Youth, has been actively involved in public education and sensitisation initiatives, which are key in fulfilling its obligations under the Stockholm Convention.

Jamaica is a signatory to the Convention, which calls for the proper management and elimination of POPs that linger wherever they are released, causing significant harm to human health and the environment.

For further information on POPs, persons may visit the NEPA and UNDP websites at https://www.nepa.gov.jm/ and https://www.undp.org/jamaica, respectively.