Extended EU Dangerous Water Pollutants List Falls Short

Environmental group World Wildlife Fund, Switzerland, has criticised plans by the European Commission to add 15 new chemicals to the current EU list of 33 dangerous water pollutants, arguing that the proposals "fall short". 

According to WWF water policy officer Sergey Moroz, the Commission's delayed proposal, which was published on 31^st January 2012, fails to specify when and how existing EU policies, such as regulation on chemicals or pesticides legislation, should be used to control water pollution.

 

As part of the Commission's proposals, it is planning to extend the current list to include substances ranging from industrial and household chemicals to pesticides and for the first time pharmaceuticals, which can end up in surface waters as a result of manufacturing and agricultural processes.

 

It also proposes phasing out and banning most hazardous chemicals from the EU market, as well as setting strict water concentration limits on other listed chemicals.

 

The revised list would then form part of a directive amending the Water Framework Directive and Environmental Quality Standards Directive and member states would have until 2021 to meet the new quality standards.

 

WWF is calling for the updated list of new emerging pollutants to be improved.

 

The proposal has now been forwarded to the EU Council of Ministers and the European Parliament for consideration.