Potential chemical contaminants in the marine environment An overview of main contaminant lists Victoria Tornero, Georg Hanke 2017 EUR 28925 EN This publication is a Technical report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policymaking process. The scientific output expressed does not imply a policy position of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use that might be made of this publication. Contact information Name: Victoria Tornero Address: European Commission Joint Research Centre, Directorate D Sustainable Resources, Water and Marine Resources Unit, Via Enrico Fermi 2749, I-21027 Ispra (VA) Email: [email protected] Tel.: +39-0332-785984 JRC Science Hub https://ec.europa.eu/jrc JRC 108964 EUR 28925 EN PDF ISBN 978-92-79-77045-6 ISSN 1831-9424 doi:10.2760/337288 Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017 © European Union, 2017 The reuse of the document is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the original meaning or message of the texts are not distorted. The European Commission shall not be held liable for any consequences stemming from the reuse. How to cite this report: Tornero V, Hanke G. Potential chemical contaminants in the marine environment: An overview of main contaminant lists. ISBN 978-92-79-77045-6, EUR 28925, doi:10.2760/337288 All images © European Union 2017 Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ 1 Abstract ............................................................................................................... 2 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3 2 Compilation of substances of environmental concern .............................................. 4 2.1 Global conventions ....................................................................................... 4 2.1.1 The Stockholm Convention .................................................................... 4 2.1.2 The Rotterdam Convention .................................................................... 4 2.1.3 The Basel Convention ........................................................................... 4 2.1.4 UNECE Conventions ............................................................................. 4 2.1.5 The International Convention for the prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) ..................................................................................................... 5 2.2 European legislations ................................................................................... 5 2.2.1 WFD ................................................................................................... 5 2.2.2 Registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals (REACH) ............... 6 2.2.3 Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation ........................... 7 2.2.4 Biocidal Product Regulation (BPR) .......................................................... 7 2.2.5 Food and feed safety legislation ............................................................. 7 2.2.6 Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) ....................................................... 8 2.2.7 European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) ...................... 8 2.3 Approaches in European Regional Seas ........................................................... 8 2.3.1 UNEP MAP Barcelona Convention ........................................................... 8 2.3.2 The Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (Black Sea Commission) ........................................................................................... 9 2.3.3 The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) .............. 9 2.3.4 The Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the North- East Atlantic (OSPAR) .................................................................................. 10 2.4 Others ...................................................................................................... 11 2.4.1 Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) ........................... 11 2.4.2 The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) list of priority pollutants ................................................................................................... 11 2.4.3 NORMAN Network .............................................................................. 11 2.4.4 JRC list of marine-relevant contaminants .............................................. 12 2.5 Other EU chemical databases ...................................................................... 12 2.5.1 EMODnet .......................................................................................... 12 2.5.2 WISE-Marine ..................................................................................... 12 3 Results ........................................................................................................... 13 4 Conclusions .................................................................................................... 15 References ......................................................................................................... 16 List of abbreviations and definitions ....................................................................... 17 Annexes ............................................................................................................. 19 Annex I. Substances (or groups of substances) considered under relevant EU legislation and international organizations .......................................................... 19 Acknowledgements Craig Robinson, Dmitry Frank-Kamenetsky, Henna Piha, Iryna Makarenko, Jo Foden, Koen Parmentier, Lena Avellan, Teresa Lettieri, Victor León, Irene del Barrio Authors Victoria Tornero, Georg Hanke 1 Abstract The identification of priority chemicals is a challenge for regulators, managers and researchers all around the world. This report compiles in a single list more than 2700 substances (or groups of substances) coming from main lists of chemicals compiled by relevant global conventions, European legislation, European regional seas and dedicated research work. Although not all of these contaminants are of concern for the marine environment or for a particular MSFD region/sub-region/Member State, this general overview should help understand the different options and support further developments for the monitoring and assessment of chemical pollution in European marine waters. Discussion and collaboration between the different stakeholders and expert groups will be necessary for an efficient way towards an equally high level of protection for healthy and productive oceans. This compilation also assists in using a harmonized nomenclature for the unambiguous identification of the substances of concern. It may also serve as a basis for discussions about procedures for grouping/combining substances at European level. This is expected to facilitate consistency in the upcoming 2018 MSFD data reporting. 2 1 Introduction Chemical pollution is one of the main environmental issues in the world today. Over 131 million registered chemical substances appear in the Chemical Abstracts Service Registry File. 387,150 of them are somehow regulated in the international markets (CAS, 2017). The vast number of contaminants that consequently may be present in the environment poses a great challenge for our planet. Regulators, managers and researchers all around the world have been devoted to the task of identifying the most relevant substances or groups of substances deserving particular attention. In this context, the common approach has been to develop a list of chemicals to focus on based on their potential hazard to the ecosystems and/or to human health. Most relevant legislation currently for the protection of the European aquatic environment are the Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC1) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC2 and amendment EU 2017/8453). The WFD establishes a list of substances of EU-wide concern (the priority substances, PS4) as a means to assess the chemical status of water bodies up to 12 nautical miles from the straightened coastline. This directive also requires the selection by Member States of substances of national or local concern (river basin specific pollutants, RBSP), which form part of the quality elements for "good ecological status” up to 1 nautical mile. The MSFD descriptor 8 “Concentrations of contaminants are at levels not giving rise to pollution effects” completes the coverage of marine waters by provisions for substance selection in the areas covered by European legislation. In accordance with the new MSFD Commission Decision on criteria and methodological standards on good environmental status (GES) (2017/848/EU5), EU Member States have to consider contaminants already identified as PS or RBSP under the WFD, but also other additional substances that may give rise to pollution effects. Other legislation, including for the safeguarding of (sea)food, regulatory agencies (e.g. ECHA), regional frameworks, international conventions and dedicated research programs have also developed lists of “priority” environmental chemicals. The aim of this report is to provide an overall