IT WILL take 25 years to banish PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), one of the
planet’s most widespread industrial poisons, delegates at a UN conference have
decided.
This week, in a decision applauded by environmentalists, 122 nations in
Johannesburg agreed a landmark treaty that will eventually ban 12 of the world’s
most toxic chemicals, known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These
pesticides and industrial chemicals accumulate in the environment and have been
linked to reproductive and nervous system damage in animals and people.
The deal will become a legally binding treaty once it has been signed by 50
countries, which should…
