This report outlines standardized approaches for monitoring persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in ambient air and water, in accordance with Article 16 of the Stockholm Convention and within the Global Monitoring Plan (GMP) framework.
It emphasizes the value of air and water as core media for tracking spatial and temporal trends, and provides practical guidance on site selection, sampling frequency and analytical quality assurance, covering both passive and active air sampling as well as water grab sampling for PFAS.
The report draws on experiences from all UN regions and highlights practical challenges, including analytical limitations, insufficient infrastructure in developing countries and the need for harmonized methods to ensure comparability of results.