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Basisviden om EU-regulerede stoffer i vandmiljøet

Summary and Conclusions

A screening level national review of consumption, uses, current environmental regulation, pollution sources and occurrence in the aquatic environment has been conducted for the 33 chemical substances, which so far have been designated by the EU as so-called "priority substances" under the Water Framework Directive" (WFD). The aim has been to clarify whether further national regulatory measures appear to be needed in relation to a forthcoming WFD daughter directive concerning these substances. It is anticipated that the daughter directive will stipulate Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for a range of aquatic compartments as well as requirements on emissions control, monitoring and reporting. The specific requirements of the directive are, however, not yet known.

Table 1 provides an overview of the 33 priority substances together with an assessment of the need for further national regulation in Denmark, based on the results of the screening level review. The subsequent 33 chapters of this report describe and assess the substances in more detail, one by one.

For 10 of the 33 substances it is assessed that it is relevant for Denmark to evaluate more thoroughly the need for and/or type of further national regulation because there is evidence or at least a strong indication that these substances can occur in the Danish aquatic environment in concentrations above the proposed EQS. A "strong indication" is e.g. if a substance often occurs in wastewater discharges in concentrations significantly higher than the proposed EQS. The substances thus singled out will not necessarily pose a problem in all discharges or in the aquatic environment in general, but on the other hand they will not be limited to just a few special cases. For these substances it is likely that action by Denmark will be required in consequence of the forthcoming daughter directive.

For 20 substances it is assessed that further national regulatory measures are not relevant as the substances are not being produced or used in Denmark and/or because the concentrations in discharges to the aquatic environment are clearly lower than the proposed EQS values. Another 3 substances probably belong to this category as well, but some reservation of the assessment is made due to lack of concrete data. It cannot be excluded that for a few of these 23 substances specific cases exist where discharges result in a local violation of the EQS.

For some of the 10 substances the possible measures required to comply with the environmental quality standards will have to address aquatic pollution of a purely historical character as the necessary regulation of uses (including total bans) of the substances in question has already been implemented.

Table 1

Overview of the 33 priority substances under the Water Framework Directive including an assessment of the needs for further national regulation in Denmark.

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Version 1.0 August 2007, © Miljøstyrelsen.