How does the WFD address cumulative stress (including mixture toxicity) of pollutants to achieve good chemiscal and ecological status of water bodies?

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Abstract

It is now more than ten years ago that the Water Framework Directive (WFD) was adopted by the European Parliament. The main objectives of the WFD are (i) to achieve good ecological and chemical status for inland surface waters, transitional waters and coastal waters in EU Member States, (ii) to assess the ecological and chemical status of these water bodies by means of monitoring programmes, and (iii) to implement programmes of measures to reduce environmental stress to an acceptable level. By adopting the WFD a fundamental change in management objective was introduced in the European Union, from merely pollution control to ensuring ecosystem integrity as a whole [1]. The ecological status of WFD water bodies is assessed by monitoring of biological quality elements (e.g. fish, macroinvertebrates, macrophytes, benthic diatoms, phytoplankton), general chemical and physico-chemical quality elements (e.g. pH, alkalinity, nutrients) and hydromorphological quality elements. These quality elements monitored in water bodies are compared with the status of more or less pristine reference ecosystems. If in WFD water bodies the ecological status deviates too much from the reference condition action is needed for achieving the acceptable ecological status. The chemical status of water bodies is assessed by comparing chemical monitoring data with Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for priority (hazardous) substances and other relevant substances. Currently, 41 priority (hazardous) substances are listed in the European Union, but a regular update of this list with emerging substances is anticipated. If in water bodies exposure concentrations of one or more of these priority (hazardous) substances are not in compliance with the officially published EQS’s for these pollutants a good chemical status is not reached and action is needed to improve this. In contrast to the EU-level priority (hazardous) substances the other relevant substances are river basin or Member State specific. These other relevant substances have been selected because they are believed to potentially impair the ecological status of specific WFD water bodies and/or related human health aspects. The methodology to derive the EQS’s for other relevant substances is similar to that of the priority (hazardous) substances. This methodology is described in the new Technical Guidance Document for deriving Environmental Quality Standards (will be officially released in 2011). In European river basins the priority (hazardous) substances and river specific pollutants have to be measured on a regular basis. Under the umbrella of the WFD, EQS derivation is primarily based on a single substance toxicity assessment approach. In exceptional cases EQS’s for mixtures may be derived when their qualitative and quantitative composition is well-defined and/or well described (e.g. biocide preparations, PCB’s, dioxins). The concentration addition (CA) concept is used as a default when setting EQS’s for mixtures. Although compliance with good chemical status is primarily based on EQS’s for individual substances, cumulative stress (including mixtures) of toxicants may be identified as a main pressure affecting ecological status. In that case the cumulative risks caused by pollutants have to be reduced.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProspective anbd retrospective Environmental Risk Assessment of Mixtures: Moving from Research to Regulation, Brussels, Belgium, 2 - 3 February, 2011
Place of PublicationBrussel
Pages31-35
Publication statusPublished - 2011
Event3rd SETAC Europe Special Science Symposium, Brussels, Belgium -
Duration: 2 Feb 20113 Feb 2011

Conference/symposium

Conference/symposium3rd SETAC Europe Special Science Symposium, Brussels, Belgium
Period2/02/113/02/11

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