The monitoring plan for water pollution levels, updated by EU Decision 2022/1307, extends monitoring to antibiotics, other drugs, pesticides and herbicides. (1)
It is necessary to collect new data-in a ‘One Health‘ logic, i.e., synergy between human, animal and environmental health (2)-in order to define an intervention strategy.
1) Surface water pollution, the big trouble.
Chemical pollution of surface water is defined as ‘one of the major environmental problems in the world,’ in the report of the Joint Research Center of the European Commission (JRC, 2017). Where some 131 million chemical contaminants are identified, of which only 387,150 are regulated in international markets. (3)
Residues of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, antibiotics and other human and veterinary drugs-as well as heavy metals, industrial chemicals, nitrogen fertilizers, etc. – can act in synergy, even at low concentrations, and create the dangerous ‘ cocktaileffect’ described by the European Environmental Agency in its report Chemicals in European waters (EEA, 2018). (4)
2) Does the polluter pay?
Chemical contamination of water thus appears to be an uncontrolled threat in the EU itself, with negative impacts on the aquatic environment-triggering acute and chronic aquatic organics toxicity, water eutrophication, and pollutant accumulation-and the ecosystems themselves, which are subject to loss of habitat and biodiversity. In addition to the human health risks that result from the use of surface water in human activities, starting with agriculture. (5)
The principles of precaution, preventive action, and correction-according to the ‘polluter pays’ criterion (6)-are applied first to member states. Italy has been sentenced by the European Court of Justice (ECJ, 2018) to fines in the millions that are still pending, as noted, for 30 years of delay in organizing urban wastewater collection and treatment systems. (7) And it is, among other things, subject to infringement proceedings for the Lake Vico environmental disaster. (8)
3) Surface water protection, the EU framework for action.
Dir. 2000/60/EC established a framework for the protection of inland surface waters (running and still), transitional waters (at river mouths), coastal waters and groundwater. Water pollution needs to be controlled and mitigated with an approach that is based on setting environmental quality standards suitable for the protection of human health and the environment.
Environmental quality standards express the concentration of certain pollutants not to be exceeded in the aqueous environmental matrix that consists of water, biota-that is, the complex of organisms inhabiting an ecosystem-and sediment (the mineral substances accumulated through sedimentation). With a view to achieving ‘good chemical status’ of surface waters. (9)
4) Surface water monitoring
Dir. 2008/105/EC established surface water monitoring criteria, which include identification of matrices to be analyzed, methods of analysis (qualitative and quantitative) to be applied, and how to be updated.
Therefore, the European Commission – based on the results collected and taking into account the impact of various contaminants on the ecosystem – provides a list of chemicals to be analyzed during monitoring. (10)
5) EU water pollution monitoring plan, 2022
- The new monitoring plan on water pollution, defined by Decision (EU) 2022/1307, adds the active ingredients of some antibiotics, other drugs and fungicides to the list of substances to be monitored. (11) In line with the EU’s strategic approach about on the environmental impact of drugs (12) and to the European ‘One Health‘ action plan against antibiotic resistance. (13)Substances introduced to the list:
- sulfamethoxazole (sulfamide) and Trimetropin (antibiotic), often used in the pharmaceutical industry, for potential bactericidal activity,
- venlafaxine and its metabolite O-desmethylvenlafaxine, a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor,
- Azole compounds (clotrimazole, fluconazole, miconazole and the pesticides imazalil, ipconazolom metconazole, penconazole, prochloraz, tebuconazole and tetraconazole),
- famoxadone and dimoxithrobine (fungicides).
6) Interim conclusions. Pesticides
The state of nature in the EU is very problematic, as the European Commission itself noted in its report of the same name (2020). (14) ‘Conventional’ agriculture is listed as one of the primary threats to habitats and biodiversity, to which, in fact, a new strategy has been dedicated after the failure of the previous one (15,16).
Pesticides-as found in the largest study conducted in 168 countries, recently published in Nature Geoscience (Tang et al., 2021)-are a major cause of environmental and water pollution. (17) And it is therefore imperative that EU institutions follow up on the demands of civil society for their effective reduction. (18)
Post Scriptum
Missing from the roll call:
- Toxic PFAS (Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances), or ‘forever chemicals,’ although both their hazardousness and prevalence are known, (19)
- microplastics, which have also already been detected in Italian lakes, as well as downstream of wastewater treatment plants (20,21).
Is the decision to avoid the analysis of risks that are too costly to manage?
Dario Dongo and Ylenia Desireè Patti Giammello
Notes
(1) Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1307 of 22.7.22 establishing a monitoring list of substances to be monitored at Union level in the field of water policy in implementation of Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council [C/2022/5098]
(2) Dario Dongo. One Health. Animal, human, planetary health and welfare. What can we do? GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 2.6.21
(3) Victoria Tornero, Georg Hanke (2017). Potential chemical contaminants in the marine environment: An overview of main contaminant lists. JRC Technical Reports. ISBN 978-92-79-77045-6, EUR 28925, doi:10.2760/337288
(4) Volker Mohaupt (Umweltbundesamt). Wibke Busch (UFZ), Joost van den Roovaart and Nanette van Dujnhoven (Deltares), Ingo Kirst and Ursula Schmedtje (Umweltbundesamt), Rolf Altenburger (UFZ) and Linda Sommer (Umweltbundesamt). Chemicals in European waters Knowledge developments. EEA Report No 18/2018. doi:10.2800/265080
(5) Dario Dongo, Ylenia Desiree Patti Giammello. Agricultural waters and food security, reg. EU 2020/741. THE ABC’S. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 26.9.21
(6) Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), Article 191 (formerly Article 174 in the EC Treaty).
(7) Dario Dongo, Giulia Torre. Agricultural wastewater, public health and food safety. EU rules and the Italian disaster. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 2.3.22
(8) Dario Dongo, Caterina Peciola. I love you Italy. The dark side of Ferrero’s hazelnuts. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 30.9.20
(9) Directive 2000/60/EC, establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy. Consolidated text as of 11/20/14 on Eur-Lex https://bit.ly/3Siag51
(10) Dir. 2008/105/EC, on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy. Current consolidated version as of 9/13/13 on Eur-Lex https://bit.ly/3ePRx32
(11) Decision 1307/2022, Annex I (substance list).
(12) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52019DC0128&from=EN. Strategic approach of the European Union regarding the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals. COM(2019) 128 final
(13) See European Parliament resolution 13.9.18 on a European ‘One Health’ action plan against antimicrobial resistance (2017/2254(INI)
(14) Dario Dongo, Giulia Orsi. The state of nature in the EU. Organic revolution. Égalité. 4.1.21
(15) Dario Dongo, Giulia Torre. Special – EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, the plan announced in Brussels. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 31.5.20
(16) Dario Dongo. CAP, pesticides and biodiversity. EU Court of Auditors Report. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 29.7.20
(17) Marta Strinati. Pesticides, two-thirds of the planet at risk of environmental pollution. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 26.9.22
(18) Dario Dongo, Marta Strinati. Sustainable pesticide use, civil society demands for reform. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 4.9.22
(19) Marta Strinati, Dario Dongo. PFAS in rainwater and food, a global ban urgently needed. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 26.8.22
(20) Dario Dongo, Sabrina Bergamini. Microplastics in the water of Italian lakes, the silent emergency. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 5.7.20
(21) Dario Dongo. Microplastics in water and agriculture, first study in Lombardy. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 18.12.18
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Laboratory technician, passionate about the production and distribution of food products, consumer information and culinary art.
