Persistent Organic Pollutants or POPs are organic chemicals that cause a lot of damage to environment and living beings. They are generally industrial chemicals or pesticides for example, DDT. They are toxic and not degraded easily. They tend to get accumulated in living tissues and increase in concentration as we move upwards in a food chain.
When POPs are transported to areas far from their original site, the phenomena is called as grasshopper effect. They are carried by wind in atmosphere and finally settle down on land from where they evaporate again to enter the atmosphere. Thus, the cycle continues. Eventually, they can reach to an area thousands of kilometers away from their original source.
