Despite decades of national protection efforts under the EU’s Water Framework Directive, which was implemented in 2000, only 29.5% of European surface waters currently achieve good chemical status. The Directive aims to ensure all waters reach good ecological and chemical status by 2027.
However, the chemical status of our waters has been deteriorating. Eighteen years ago, 36.8% of surface water bodies had achieved good chemical status.
This decline is largely due to the presence of ubiquitous, persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances (uPBTs), such as pBDE (a class of flame retardants) and PFOS (part of the PFAS group, known as forever chemicals). These substances persist in the environment long after their use has been banned.
Without uPBTs, 80% of European surface waters would meet good chemical status.
Currently, EU legislators are revising the list of substances and quality standards required to achieve good chemical status, with considerations to include the entire group of PFAS.
This news item was brought to you by CHEM Trust in the frame of their Toxic-free for EU project. To receive the newsletter, please subscribe here.
This news item was brought to you by CHEM Trust in the frame of their Toxic-free for EU project. To receive the newsletter, please subscribe here.
