Global cooperation is crucial to addressing the threats from POPs. The Canada POPs fund is part of a global effort to reduce the emission of these dangerous substances and will help other countries to find safer alternatives to these pollutants. POPs are toxic substances that pose significant risks to the health of Canadians, particularly northern Aboriginal populations dependent on traditional foods. Even though Canada has banned or restricted their use, most POPs of concern are transported from foreign sources through the atmosphere into Canada, where they accumulate in the food chain. POPs are introduced into humans through the food chain, and some may be passed on from mother to child across the placenta and through breast milk.
POPs are semi-volatile chemicals.
After their release into the environment, they travel in multiple cycles of evaporation, transport by air and condensation. Called the grasshopper effect, this process allows POPs to travel great distances quickly. In the cold climate of the Arctic, low evaporation rates trap POPs, and so they enter the food chain. In Canada, the highest concentrations of POPs are found in the Arctic, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence basin.