Environmental Risk Assessment of Emerging Pollutants in Water: Approaches Under Horizontal and Vertical EU Legislation

Abstract

In Europe, under the framework of environmental legislation, various protocols have been developed for assessing the environmental risk of chemicals. For the “new chemicals,” environmental risk assessment (ERA) was introduced at 1980s. A decade later, pharmaceuticals were considered in the discussion for further ERA studies. Pesticides and biocides undergo a rigorous assessment following Directives 91/414/EEC and 98/8/EC. Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) is the most important development in this field. REACH covers nanotechnology-based materials, but present methodologies may not be appropriate. The authors give a critical overview of the approaches under European water legislation, which cover the ERA frameworks for emerging contaminants.

KEY WORDS:

• emerging pollutants
• environmental risk assessment
• regulatory framework
• water resource quality

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support from Spanish Ministry of Rural, Marine, and Natural Environment and the Ministry of Science and Innovation (REACH Implementation Project, Spanish Implementation Project on the Stockholm Convention, and Projects. CSD2006-00044 and CTM2007-65544/TECNO).

Notes

^aSubstance is subject to a review for identification as a possible priority substance.

^bPriority substance is subject to a review for identification as a possible priority hazardous substance.