Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

particularly dangerous. 
Figure 8.2. 
The sources 
of the pollution 
with nitrogen and 
phosphorus compounds 
in the Baltic Sea, 2000

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162 
ENVIRONMENT, POLLUTION, DEVELOPMENT:  THE CASE OF UZBEKISTAN
Today, the question regarding the water environ ment pollution 
with synthetic detergents has gained topicality.
From the environ mental point of view, the environ ment quality 
may be most affected by two components of synthetic detergents:
1) surfactants; 
2)  water softeners.
The substantial contamination of the environ ment (air, water, 
soil, underground environ ment) is the pollution with substances 
characterized  by  high  stability.  Among  these  persistent  organic 
pollutants (POPs) occupy a special place. Due to the in-depth 
research of these substances and recognition of hazards associated 
with them, as well as the amounts of their production and their 
toxicity, the use of several POPs is limited by legal acts, among which 
the  first  to  be  mentioned  is  the  Stockholm  Convention,  aimed  at 
protecting human health and the environ ment from POPs, restricting 
the use of substances that are characterized by high toxicity and 
persistence in the environ ment, providing a safe and permanent 
disposal of these substances and reducing uncontrolled emissions of 
POPs into the environ ment. According to the source and application, 
POPs can be divided into 3 groups:
a) POP-containing plant protection products (aldrin, DDT, 
dieldrin, endrin, hexachlorobenzene, heptachlor, chlordane, 
mirex, toxaphene); 
b)  POP  –  containing  chemical  products  for  industrial  use 
(hexachlorobenzene, polychlorinated biphenyls);
c)  POP  –  containing  by-products  (polychlorinated  dibenzo-p-
dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polyaromatic hydro-
carbons). POPs are characterized by high persistence in the 
environment and a high potential for bioaccumulation.