This Editorial describes background, aims and scope of a new series in ESPR entitled 'Case Studies on Dioxin and POP Contaminated Sites - Contemporary and Future Relevance and Challenges'. The Editors are Roland Weber, Mats Tysklind and Caroline Gaus. Table 2 presents a summary of the cases discussed in this series and a comprehensive review on these and other studies will open the series with a following issue of ESPR.