Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2010, 7, 3615-3627; doi:10.3390/ijerph7103615 OPEN ACCESS International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ISSN 1660-4601 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph Review Wen-Tien Tsai Current Status and Regulatory Aspects of Pesticides Considered to be Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Taiwan Graduate Institute of Bioresources, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan; E-Mail: wttsai@mail.npust.edu.tw; Tel.: +886-8-7703202; Fax: +886-8-7740134. Received: 17 August 2010; in revised form: 2 September 2010 / Accepted: 10 September 2010 / Published: 12 October 2010 Abstract: Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are capable of persisting in the environment, transporting between phase media and accumulating to high levels, implying that they could pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. Consequently, most OCPs are designated as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and even as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The objective of this paper was to review the current status of pesticide POPs in Taiwan, including aldrin, chlordane, chlordecone, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, α/β-hexachlorocyclohexanes, lindane, mirex, pentachloro-benzene, and toxaphene. The information about their environmental properties, banned use, carcinogenic toxicity and environmental levels, can be connected with the regulatory infrastructure, which has been established by the joint-venture of the central competent authorities (i.e., Environmental Protection Administration, Department of Health, Council of Agriculture, and Council of Labor Affairs). The significant progress to be reported is that the residual levels of these pesticide-POPs, ranging from trace amounts to a few ppb, have declined notably in recent years. Keywords: organochlorine pesticide (OCPs); persistent organic pollutants (POPs); environmental distribution; regulatory control; Taiwan