Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Analysis of EU Legislated Compounds for Assessing Chemical Status: Main Challenges and Inconsistencies

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Experiences from Surface Water Quality Monitoring

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 42))

Abstract

The list of priority substances from the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC) was recently revised (Directive 2013/39/EU). A total of 12 new priority substances were added, and some EQS values were also modified. For different reasons (toxicity, uses, and environmental fate), the proposed EQS values are extremely low, and it is the need to reach excessively low quantification limits. This chapter considers challenges and limitations of analytical methodologies and, according to literature and the state of the art of our laboratory, explains the difficulties for routine laboratories to achieve some EQS values.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Abbreviations

AA:

Annual average

DEHP:

Di(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate

EQS:

Environmental quality standard

GC-Q:

Gas chromatography-quadrupole

HPLC:

High performance liquid chromatography

HRGC:

High-resolution gas chromatography

HRMS:

High-resolution mass spectrometry

IDMS:

Isotope dilution mass spectrometry

JRC:

Joint Research Center

LOQ:

Limit of quantification

MAC:

Maximum allowable concentration

MS/MS:

Tandem mass spectrometry

NP:

Nonylphenol

OP:

Octylphenol

PAH:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

PBDE:

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers

PS:

Priority substances

QA:

Quality assurance

QC:

Quality control

SCCPs:

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins

US EPA:

United States Environmental Protection Agency

WFD:

Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)

References

  1. Directive 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for a Community action in the field of water policy. Off J Eur Comm L327

    Google Scholar 

  2. Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directives 82/176/EEC, 83/513/EEC, 84/156/EEC, 84/491/EEC, 86/280/EEC and amending Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. Off J Eur Comm L348/84

    Google Scholar 

  3. Directive 2013/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 August 2013 amending Directives 2000/60/EC and 2008/105/EC as regards priority substances in the field of water policy Off J Eur Comm L226/1

    Google Scholar 

  4. Commission Directive 2009/90/EC of 31 July 2009 laying down, pursuant to Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, technical specifications for chemical analysis and monitoring of water status. Off J Eur Comm L201/36

    Google Scholar 

  5. EC (2010) Guidance document no. 25 on chemical monitoring of sediment and biota under the Water Framework Directive. Common implementation strategy for the Water Framework Directive technical report-2010-041

    Google Scholar 

  6. EC (2011) Guidance document no. 27 on technical guidance for deriving environmental quality standards. Common implementation strategy for the Water Framework Directive technical report-2011-055

    Google Scholar 

  7. Hanke G et al (2012) Chemical-monitoring on-site exercises to harmonize analytical methods for priority substances in the European Union. Trends Anal Chem 36:25–35

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hanke G et al. (2009) Comparison of monitoring approaches for selected priority pollutants in surface water CMA on-site 2. JRC scientific and technical reports, EUR 24081 EN-2009.

    Google Scholar 

  9. U.S. EPA (1994) Method 1613: tetra-through octa-chlorinated dioxins and furans by isotope dilution HRGC/HRMS.

    Google Scholar 

  10. U.S. EPA (2007) Method 1614: brominated diphenyl ethers in water, soil, sediment and tissue by HRGC/HRMS. EPA-821-R-07-005

    Google Scholar 

  11. U.S. EPA (1999) Method 1668, revision A: chlorinated biphenyl congeners in water, soil, sediment and tissue by HRGC/HRMS. EPA-821-R-00-002

    Google Scholar 

  12. U.S. EPA (2007) Method 1694: pharmaceuticals and personal care products in water, soil, sediments and biosolids by HPLC/MS/MS.EPA-821-R-08-002

    Google Scholar 

  13. Vorkamp K et al (2014) New priority substances of the European Water Framework Directive: biocides, pesticides and brominated flame retardants in the aquatic environment of Denmark. Sci Total Environ 470–471:459–468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Loos R (2012) Analytical methods relevant to the European Commission’s 2012 proposal on priority substances under the Water Framework Directive. JRC scientific and policy reports

    Google Scholar 

  15. Sargent M, Harrington C, Harte R (eds) (2002) Guidelines for achieving high accuracy in isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS). The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  16. Planas C et al (2006) Analysis of pesticides and metabolites in Spanish surface waters by isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with previous automated solid-phase extraction. Estimation of the uncertainty of the analytical results. J Chromatogr A 1131:242–252

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Planas C et al (2006) Analysis of alkyl and 2-6-ringed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by isotope dilution gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry. Quality assurance and determination in Spanish river sediments. J Chromatogr A 1113:220–230

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Lepom P et al (2009) Needs for reliable analytical methods for monitoring chemical pollutants in surface water under the European Water Framework Directive. J Chromatogr A 1216:302–315

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Geiβ S et al (2010) Determination of the sum of short chain polychlorinated n-alkanes with a chlorine content of between 49 and 67% in water by GC-ECNI-MS and quantification by multiple linear regression. Clean 38(1):57–76

    Google Scholar 

  20. Geiβ S et al (2012) Validation interlaboratory trial for ISO 12010: water quality-determination of short-chain polychlorinated alkanes (SCCP) in water. Accred Qual Assur 17(1):15–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Flores C et al (2013) Occurrence of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in N.E Spanish surface waters and their removal in a drinking water treatment plant that combines conventional and advanced treatments in parallel lines. Sci Total Environ 461–462:618–626

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry, Organic Pollutants, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), c/ Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Josep Caixach & Arancha Bartolomé

Authors
  1. Josep Caixach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Arancha Bartolomé
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Josep Caixach .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Water Quality and Monitori, Catalan Water Agency (ACA), Barcelona, Spain

    Antoni Munné

  2. Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain

    Antoni Ginebreda

  3. Department of Ecology, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain

    Narcís Prat

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Caixach, J., Bartolomé, A. (2015). Analysis of EU Legislated Compounds for Assessing Chemical Status: Main Challenges and Inconsistencies. In: Munné, A., Ginebreda, A., Prat, N. (eds) Experiences from Surface Water Quality Monitoring. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 42. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2015_443

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation