Online Copy Journal of Environmental Biology, Vol. 37 (Special Issue), 1125-1134, September 2016 © Triveni Enterprises, Lucknow (India) Water is the most delicate part of the environment and is vital for human and industrial development. Water pollution is one of the biggest environmental issues worldwide. Consuming polluted water affects all the vital organs of human beings including heart and kidneys. Other health problems associated with polluted water are poor blood circulation, skin lesions, vomiting, cholera, gastroenteritis and damage to the nervous system. An increase in population leads to an increase in the demand for safe water supplies. Over the last several decades, many countries have become increasingly concerned about the ecological risks associated with different environmental pollutants. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are one of these pollutants. Persistent organic pollutants are type of chemical pollutants those can be highly persistent in the environment for a long time, migrating through air, water, soil and sediments. These compounds also bio-accumulate in fatty tissue, which can harm wildlife and human health (Arslan- Alaton and Olmez-Hanci, 2013). In view of this, in May 2001, the Stockholm Convention (SC) on POPs was established (UNEP 2012). In 2012, the SC targeted 22 POPs; out of which twelve POPs known as the 'dirty dozen' were targeted when the Convention was first adopted, and ten more were added in 2009 and 2012 (Tang 2013). Abstract Key words The sources, distribution, transformation, toxicity and accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems have attracted global concern and attention over the last several decades. Although, POPs are toxic, degrade slowly and have a tendency to accumulate in the food chain, they are still widely used worldwide in many fields, such as industrial and agricultural activities. In addition, discharge of POPs into waterways may lead to serious health-related and environmental problems. This review provides an overview of the continental distributions of many types of POPs and the health risks associated with the exposure to POPs in daily life. This review also discusses the distribution of POPs in Malaysia, and the future work that will be conducted in the Klang River, one of the basins subjected to pollution due to development and urbanization. Classification, Dispersal, Geographic distribution, Impacts, POPs, Remediation Geographical distribution of persistent organic pollutants in the environment: A review Samavia Batool , Sharifah Ab Rashid , Mohd. Jamil Maah , Maliha Sarfraz and Muhammad Aqeel Ashraf 1 2 2 3 4,5 1 2 5 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya-50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya-50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences-430074 Wuhan, P. R. China *Corresponding Author E-mail: ashraf@ums.edu.my 3 4 Institute of Pharmacy, Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Agriculture-38040 Faisalabad, Pakistan Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, University Malaysia Sabah-88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Publication Info Paper received: 16 February 2016 Revised received: Re-revised received: Accepted: 27 April 2016 5 May 2016 23 June 2016 Journal of Environmental Biology ISSN: 0254-8704 (Print) ISSN: 2394-0379 (Online) CODEN: JEBIDP Website : www.jeb.co.in E-mail : editor@jeb.co.in JEB TM TM