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Water protection in Europe
Author(s) -
Malle KarlGeert
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of the american oil chemists' society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1558-9331
pISSN - 0003-021X
DOI - 10.1007/bf02678785
Subject(s) - directive , pollution , legislature , environmental planning , water framework directive , environmental protection , harmonization , european union , business , limiting , water quality , quality (philosophy) , bioaccumulation , environmental science , environmental quality , production (economics) , political science , law , international trade , ecology , engineering , computer science , chemistry , environmental chemistry , biology , philosophy , acoustics , epistemology , programming language , mechanical engineering , physics , macroeconomics , economics
In addition to national regulations there are supranational as well as international conventions for protection of Europcan waters. Supranational directives have been passed by the European Community concerning for instance, the quality of bathing water and of fish as well as shellfish waters, on the quality of drinking water and surface waters for production of drinking water. The directive on “pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environment” is of special importance. A number of international conventions with special purviews correspond to this directive. The purpose of all the regulations is to control pollution caused by dangerous substances. With regard to substances of “list 1”, pollution is to be eliminated by fixing emission standards for all discharges., To reduce pollution by substances of “list II”, member states shall lay down emission standards which are based on standardized quality objectives. These standards shall be harmonized by the Europcan Commission. The conventions contain only lists of families and groups of substances, among which certain individual substances first have to be, selected. Meanwhile, 46 substances are under examination: for 83 more substances, discussion is proposed. This procedure is rather complicated. Technological aspects such as amounts, production processes, use and treatment technology are taken into account as well as ecological properties like toxicology, persistence and bioaccumulation. Examination also includes the economic problems involved. The proposals for emissions standards and quality objectives thus resulting have to pass through the normal legislative procedure before becoming legally binding on the respective states. The first implementing directive is limiting the mercury discharges from the chlor‐alkali electrolysis (amalgam process). Furthermore, there are proposals for a drins as well as a cadmium directive. The first substance of, list II under examination is chromium with its compounds.