Passive sampling in support of biota monitoring of hydrophobic substances under the Water Framework Directive
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Hazardous Materials |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389424032539?via%3Dihub |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136672 |
| Keywords | Passive sampling; Biota monitoring; EQS; Silicone rubber; Tiered approach; Priority substances |
| Description | Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) derived for biota. Considering a chemical activity approach to chemical risk assessment, we propose equilibrium concentration in lipids (from passive water sampling) as a reference value for measured concentrations in biota. Through existing PS-fish datasets, we show a growing body of evidence supporting the use of lipid-based contaminant concentrations at equilibrium with water derived from PS as a conservative proxy of levels of these chemicals in fish. We propose a procedure that includes PS as a first, animal-free screening step of a tiered approach, followed by more conventional fish analyses when PS indicates these are needed to confirm EQSbiota exceedance. This paper reviews fish-passive sampler datasets, provides a reasoning for the proposed procedure and discusses how to broadly put it into monitoring practice. PS offers the possibility of well-defined standardised monitoring approaches that can help overcome the natural variability challenges associated with measurements in biota across member states and simplify EQSbiota compliance. |
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