The Aarhus Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants, a 1998 protocol on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), is an addition to the 1979 Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). The Aarhus POPs Protocol seeks “to control, reduce or eliminate discharge, emissions and losses of persistent organic pollutants” in Europe, some former Soviet Union countries, and the United States.
The protocol was amended on 18 December 2009, but the amended version has not yet come into force.
As of May 2013, the protocol has been ratified by 31 states and the European Union.
In the United States, the protocol is an executive agreement that does not require Senate approval. However, legislation is needed to resolve inconsistencies between provisions of the protocol and existing U.S. laws (specifically the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act).
Substances
The following substances are contained in the CLRTAP POPs Protocol.