The NORMAN network on emerging substances: status and future plans

www.norman-network.net

valeria.dulio@ineris.fr

NORMAN network – Emerging Substances

45 Members in 2010 (8 Founding Members + 37 Ordinary members)

Activities funded by its members: via annual membership fees + in-kind contribution

Focus on synergies with the various activities funded at the national level in the field of EP

June 2010: signature of Collaboration Agreement between NORMAN and JRC

Strong link with DG ENV (WFD CIS WG-E / CMEP)

Former FP6 research project Non-profit association since 2009

NORMAN Mission• Exchange of information on emerging substances

– Assessment of occurrence in the environment (monitoring data) and associated risk

– Identification of relevant pollutants among emerging substances

• Harmonisation of methods for:– Measurement of concentration levels in the environment

– Assessment of effects

– Decision-making authorities – must be able to compare and interpret the data

• Emerging substance a pollutant of concern need for regular monitoring sufficient capability across the EU for measuring it at the routine level

Environmental contaminants: “knowns and unknowns”

• “Conventional” pollutants e.g. PCBs, metals, PAHs

We know how to measure them and we have data to assess the risks

• “Known” emerging pollutants: e.g. PFCs, PPCP, nanomaterials

We know that they are present in the environment, but we don’t have enough data to assess the risks

• “Unknown” emerging pollutants : ???

We know they are present in the environment (causing effects, including as mixtures) but we don’t know yet WHAT they are (?)

Adapted from Francis S. Collins, 2008Adapted from Francis S. Collins, 2008

NORMAN focus

• Water Framework Directive– Support to DG ENV WG-E and CMEP activities

– River Basin-Specific Pollutants

– New priority substances

– Quality and comparability of results at EU scale

– Implementation of bioassays / biomarkers in monitoring programmes

• Marine Strategy Framework Directive

• Upgrade of Drinking Water Directive – Water Safety Plans

• REACh– Occurrence in the environment

Main targeted policies?

• CMEP mandate:

• “The NORMAN network will be closely associated with this activity, as well as other relevant research initiatives on emerging pollutants. The activity will provide:

– Quickly reliable and EU-wide information about levels and occurrence of emerging environmental pollutants which can eventually support the identification of new priority substances.

– Information on performance of existing analytical methods for emerging pollutants and any other information deemed relevant for the activities of the WGE on this field.

– Information exchange on the use of alternative effect-based monitoring methods (e.g. biomarker, bioassays, EDA) needed for investigative monitoring and to better evaluate the link between chemical and ecological status and the effects of mixture of pollutants and emerging pollutants.”

Chemical monitoring and emerging pollutants (CMEP) activity – sub-group of WG E

NORMAN Strategy TARGET & select:- PRIORITISATION of emerging SUBSTANCES- Target screening / monitoring

Data sharing / info exchange:-Databases-Workshops-Bulletin

Data comparability: -Common Protocol for methods validation-Interlaboratory studies

Identification of relevant toxicants via FIELD-BASED approaches- Biological tools in combination with chemical analysis

Setting priorities among emerging substances (known emerging pollutants)

•Classification into action categories followed by ranking

Ranking within each category

Identification of relevant toxicants (unknown emerging pollutants)

• Monitoring and modelling-based prioritisation can only partly solve dilemma of the complexity of contamination

• Two Working Groups dealing with effect-based analysis: – WG-2 “The value of bioassays /

biomarkers in water quality monitoring: strategies for interpretation of results” (INERIS / IVM / RIVM)

– WG-3 “Effect Directed Analysis – (UFZ) – kick-off meeting, Leipzig 19-20 Oct

Water Framework Directive River Basin Specific Pollutants Identification and

Monitoring10-11 June 2010 Stresa, Italy

 

A JRC IES – NORMAN initiative in support of the WFD implementation 

Overviews FUNDING

Environment Human Archive Prioritisation Chemical safety management

Standards NORMAN

EUROPEAN SPECIMEN

BANKING

EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIMEN BANKS, Berlin – 21 Jun 2010

NORMAN validation protocol

IWW

• Data quality / comparability: harmonisation and validation of analytical methods

→ Provides a check list of criteria / indicators for validation of measurement methods: research lab, expert lab and routine lab level •Validation protocol developed during NORMAN project•Is now the basis for New Work Item Proposal submitted to the French mirror group of CEN TC 230 (Water Analysis) – AFNOR•Objective: CEN Technical Specifications

Passive sampling – NORMAN Expert Group and Europe-wide harmonisation

• An innovative monitoring tool for the time-integrated measurement

of bioavailable contaminants in water and sediment

• Activities of NORMAN– A position paper “Passive sampling of emerging

pollutants in the aquatic environment: state of the art and perspectives” published in 2010

– An interlaboratory calibration study will take place in 2011 (field campaigns in spring – summer)

• variability in data by comparing results from various passive samplers sent by participating laboratories exposed to water at a single (reference) site

• Target substances: polar pesticides, pharmaceuticals, biocides, steroid hormones, brominated flame retardants

Other activities 2011

• Challenges for sampling and analysis of emerging contaminats (EG meeting: NIVA)

• New brominated flame retardants as emerging contaminants in the environment (EG meeting: IVL)

• Validation of organic phosphorous flame retardants analysis in the environment (ILS: IVM)

• Engineered nanoparticles in water (EG meeting: BfG)• Development and Implementation of a High Resolution

Accurate MassBank for NORMAN (UFZ)• Methodological approaches for evaluation of mixture effects

to human health in drinking water (EG meeting: KWR)

Why is this needed?

• To break the vicious circle: «not monitored, therefore not regulated» /

«not regulated, therefore not monitored»

• Not possible to answer all open questions at national/single country level

Production and exchange of Reliable and high quality data is crucial for all these activities!!