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Fungal spores make up a significant proportion of organic matter within the air. Allergic sensitisation to fungi is associated with conditions including allergic fungal airway disease. This systematic review analyses outdoor fungal spore seasonality across Europe and considers the implications for health. Seventy-four studies met the inclusion criteria, the majority of which (n = 64) were observational sampling studies published between 1978 and 2020. The most commonly reported genera were the known allergens Alternaria and Cladosporium, measured in 52 and 49 studies, respectively. Both displayed statistically significant increased season length in south-westerly (Mediterranean) versus north-easterly (Atlantic and Continental) regions. Although there was a trend for reduced peak or annual Alternaria and Cladosporium spore concentrations in more northernly locations, this was not statistically significant. Peak spore concentrations of Alternaria and Cladosporium exceeded clinical thresholds in nearly all locations, with median peak concentrations of 665 and 18,827 per m 3 , respectively. Meteorological variables, predominantly temperature, precipitation and relative humidity, were the main factors associated with fungal seasonality. Land-use was identified as another important factor, particularly proximity to agricultural and coastal areas. While correlations of increased season length or decreased annual spore concentrations with increasing average temperatures were reported in multi-decade sampling studies, the number of such studies was too small to make any definitive conclusions. Further, up-to-date studies covering underrepresented geographical regions and fungal taxa (including the use of modern molecular techniques), and the impact of land-use and climate change will help address remaining knowledge gaps. Such knowledge will help to better understand fungal allergy, develop improved fungal spore calendars and forecasts with greater geographical coverage, and promote increased awareness and management strategies for those with allergic fungal disease., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The decline in high ecological water status in rivers is a significant concern in European countries. It is thus important to investigate the factors that cause sites to lose high status in order to undertake measures to protect and restore high status water quality. Analysis of 20 years of water quality data reveals strong mobility between high status and non-high status (especially good status) rivers. Associations between this mobility and socio-economic and physical environmental variables were estimated by multinomial logistic regression at national scale and regional scale. Based on reported changes in water quality status cross across 1990, 2000 and 2010, four classes of the mobility of high status were defined in this study: those sites that maintain high status (maintain), enter high status (enter), fluctuate between high and non-high status (fluctuate) and exit from high status (exit). The national results indicate that agricultural activity as indicated by variables representing intensity of livestock farming (organic nitrogen) and tillage farming (cereal share) and elevation had significant negative impacts on high status rivers. Meanwhile, significant differences in population density and septic tank density between 'exit', 'maintain', 'fluctuate' and 'enter' classes indicate that these factors played important roles in the stability of high status rivers. The regional outcomes reveal differential significant pressures across regions. For example, rainfall and elevation had positive impacts on high status rivers in the north-west region, while organic nitrogen had a negative effect in the south-west. This paper demonstrates the challenge in achieving the Water Framework Directive goal of maintaining high status rivers, given the sensitive and highly differentiated nature of areas that have lost high status or fluctuated in and out of high status. This paper also suggests the necessity for localised policies and mitigation measures., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Two factors complicate the ecological status classification of very large rivers in Europe according to the EU Water Framework Directive: First, current assessment methods do not fully consider the specific ecology of very large rivers (such as lateral connectivity and the role of floodplains for ecological status). Second, most of Europe's very large rivers have been severely altered by human activities such as flood protection, damming and navigation. The aim of our study is to develop an assessment method for very large rivers by identifying suitable biological metrics as the basis for multi-metric bioassessment using benthic invertebrates. Based on the pan-European typology of very large rivers by Borgwardt et al. (2019), we established a river type-specific assessment approach using invertebrate samples from 25 European countries and 94 very large rivers. The frequency and intensity of eight pressures jointly acting on the sampling sites were described, and a selection of suitable invertebrate community metrics were correlated with the pressure intensities to establish pressure-response relationships. The very large river types differ in terms of relevant pressures and pressure combinations, with the invertebrate communities distinctly responding to these pressure patterns. Neozoa dominance correlated strongly with 'navigation', being a major pressure at very large rivers, which entails severe hydro-morphological alterations such as channelization, riparian vegetation alteration and impoundment. Under combined pressures, a critical community turnover became evident in terms of neozoa outnumbering EPT taxa and the ratio of hemilimnic invertebrates decreasing. We propose ten bioassessment metrics, including measures of biological diversity as well as newly generated indicators, for the development of a European type-specific assessment method for very large rivers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The effect of lockdown due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on air pollution in four Southern European cities (Nice, Rome, Valencia and Turin) and Wuhan (China) was quantified, with a focus on ozone (O 3 ). Compared to the same period in 2017-2019, the daily O 3 mean concentrations increased at urban stations by 24% in Nice, 14% in Rome, 27% in Turin, 2.4% in Valencia and 36% in Wuhan during the lockdown in 2020. This increase in O 3 concentrations is mainly explained by an unprecedented reduction in NO x emissions leading to a lower O 3 titration by NO. Strong reductions in NO 2 mean concentrations were observed in all European cities, ~53% at urban stations, comparable to Wuhan (57%), and ~65% at traffic stations. NO declined even further, ~63% at urban stations and ~78% at traffic stations in Europe. Reductions in PM 2.5 and PM 10 at urban stations were overall much smaller both in magnitude and relative change in Europe (~8%) than in Wuhan (~42%). The PM reductions due to limiting transportation and fuel combustion in institutional and commercial buildings were partly offset by increases of PM emissions from the activities at home in some of the cities. The NO x concentrations during the lockdown were on average 49% lower than those at weekends of the previous years in all cities. The lockdown effect on O 3 production was ~10% higher than the weekend effect in Southern Europe and 38% higher in Wuhan, while for PM the lockdown had the same effect as weekends in Southern Europe (~6% of difference). This study highlights the challenge of reducing the formation of secondary pollutants such as O 3 even with strict measures to control primary pollutant emissions. These results are relevant for designing abatement policies of urban pollution., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Freshwater ecosystems face many threats in the form of reduced water quantity, poor water quality and the loss of biodiversity. As a result, aquatic biomonitoring tools are required to enable the evaluation of these critical changes. Currently, macroinvertebrate-based indices are globally the most widely used biomonitoring tools in fluvial ecosystems. However, very little is known about the potential effects of changes in taxonomic understanding (updating of classification and nomenclature) or the presence of new non-native species for biotic indices calculation. This is especially relevant given that errors, incorrect classification or exclusion of new/updated nomenclature may affect ecological status evaluations and have direct consequences for the management and conservation of freshwater systems. In this discussion paper the main constraints, challenges and implications of these issues are outlined and case studies from a range of European countries are discussed. However, similar challenges affect rivers and managers globally and will potentially be amplified further in the future. Bioassessment science needs to be open to improvements, and current tools and protocols need to be flexible so that they can be updated and revised rapidly to allow new scientific developments to be integrated. This discussion highlights specific examples and new ideas that may contribute to the future development of aquatic biomonitoring using macroinvertebrates and other faunal and floral groups in riverine ecosystems., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Hundreds of tons of pharmaceutical compounds are annually dispensed and consumed worldwide. Pharmaceuticals are an important class of emerging environmental micropollutants: their presence in water bodies is an increasing environmental concern. The aim of this review paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in freshwater aquatic environments in the African and European context. A literature survey has been performed, resulting in 3024 data points related to environmental occurrence. The concentration levels of 71 pharmaceuticals were assessed. The top ten most frequently detected and quantified compounds in both continents were sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, diclofenac, trimethoprim, ibuprofen, naproxen, paracetamol (acetaminophen), ketoprofen, venlafaxine and clarithromycin. The maximum concentrations of 17β-estradiol, estriol, ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, paracetamol, naproxen reported in African aquatic environments were ~3140, ~20,000, ~125, ~100, ~215 and ~171 times higher, respectively, than the concentrations reported in European based studies. The variation in pharmaceutical consumption, partial removal of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment processes, and the direct discharge of livestock animal farm wastewater were identified among the major reasons for the observed differences. Several pharmaceuticals were found in aquatic environments of both continents in concentration levels higher than their ecotoxicity endpoints. In Europe, compounds such as diclofenac, ibuprofen, triclosan, sulfadimidine, carbamazepine and fluoxetine were reported in a concentration higher than the available ecotoxicity endpoints. In Africa, much more compounds reached concentrations more than the ecotoxicity endpoints, including diclofenac, ibuprofen, paracetamol, naproxen, ciprofloxacin, triclosan, trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine and fluoxetine, estriol and 17β-estradiol. Details for each therapeutic group are presented in this review., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The paper describes the inhalation nickel (Ni) exposure of humans via the environment for the regional scale in the EU, together with a tiered approach for assessing additional local exposure from industrial emissions. The approach was designed, in the context of REACH, for the purpose of assessing and controlling emissions and air quality in the neighbourhood of Ni producers and downstream users. Two Derived No Effect Level (DNEL) values for chronic inhalation exposure to total Ni in PM10 (20 and 60ngNi/m(3)) were considered. The value of 20ngNi/m(3) is the current EU air quality guidance value. The value of 60ngNi/m(3) is derived here based on recently published Ni data (Oller et al., 2014). Both values are protective for respiratory toxicity and carcinogenicity but differ in the application of toxicokinetic adjustments and cancer threshold considerations. Estimates of air Ni concentrations at the European regional scale were derived from the database of the European Environment Agency. The 50th and 90th percentile regional exposures were below both DNEL values. To assess REACH compliance at the local scale, measured ambient air data are preferred but are often unavailable. A tiered approach for the use of modelled ambient air concentrations was developed, starting with the application of the default EUSES model and progressing to more sophisticated models. As an example, the tiered approach was applied to 33 EU Ni sulphate producers' and downstream users' sites. Applying the EUSES model demonstrates compliance with a DNEL of 60ngNi/m(3) for the majority of sites, while the value of the refined modelling is demonstrated when a DNEL of 20ngNi/m(3) is considered. The proposed approach, applicable to metals in general, can be used in the context of REACH, for refining the risk characterisation and guiding the selection of risk management measures., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper revisits the emission scenarios of the European Commission's 2005 Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution (TSAP) in light of today's knowledge. We review assumptions made in the past on the main drivers of emission changes, i.e., demographic trends, economic growth, changes in the energy intensity of GDP, fuel-switching, and application of dedicated emission control measures. Our analysis shows that for most of these drivers, actual trends have not matched initial expectations. Observed ammonia and sulfur emissions in European Union in 2010 were 10% to 20% lower than projected, while emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter exceeded estimates by 8% to 15%. In general, a higher efficiency of dedicated emission controls compensated for a lower-than-expected decline in total energy consumption as well as a delay in the phase-out of coal. For 2020, updated projections anticipate lower sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions than those under the 2005 baseline, whereby the degree to which these emissions are lower depends on what assumptions are made for emission controls and new vehicle standards. Projected levels of particulates are about 10% higher, while smaller differences emerge for other pollutants. New emission projections suggest that environmental targets established by the TSAP for the protection of human health, eutrophication and forest acidification will not be met without additional measures., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Illicit drug use is a global phenomenon involving millions of individuals, which results in serious health and social costs. The chemical analysis of urban wastewater for the excretion products of illicit drugs is a potent approach for monitoring patterns and trends of illicit drug use in a community. The first international and multidisciplinary conference on this topic was recently organized to present the epidemiological knowledge of patterns in drug use and the information obtained from wastewater analysis. This paper gives an overview of the main issues that emerged during the conference, focusing on the identified research gaps and requirements and on the future challenges and opportunities from bringing together wastewater analysis and drug epidemiology. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) uses an established multi-indicator system to monitor illicit drug use and to identify the emergence of new psychoactive substances. The methodological challenges of monitoring a hidden and stigmatized behavior like drug use include the limitations of self-report data and reporting delays. An increasing evidence base suggests that wastewater analysis can address some of these problems. Specifically this technique can: monitor temporal and spatial trends in drug use at different scales, provide updated estimates of drug use, and identify changing habits and the use of new substances. A best practice protocol developed by a Europe-wide network of experts is available to produce homogeneous and comparable data at different sites. The systematic evaluation of uncertainties related to wastewater analysis has highlighted which areas require careful control and those that need further investigation to generally improve the approach. Wastewater analysis has considerable potential to complement existing approaches for monitoring drug use due to its ability to produce objective, real-time estimates of drug use and to give timely information of any change in the patterns of use.

The use of natural attenuation (NA) processes for contaminated site cleanup and remediation has been gaining more attention over the last few years. However, the need for an inventory of the existing information concerning monitored natural attenuation (MNA), including the existing return on experience, has been sounding increasingly louder over recent years as well. This paper will focus on the application of MNA throughout Europe. First, a literature study and a survey were performed in order to collect all available data on both qualitative and quantitative aspects of MNA. Secondly, a questionnaire was created and sent out to experts in the field of regulation and research from six countries, including Finland, Spain, and the UK. Thirdly, further contributions from a SNOWMAN workshop concerning MNA (November 7th, 2011, Paris) were included in this paper. The result is a state of the art concerning MNA for several countries, including the legal framework and existing protocols, a comparison between different countries, and an overview of some existing MNA cases throughout Europe combined with a discussion on relevant aspects related to "return on experience". The results demonstrate that MNA is now considered to be a conventional remediation technique in most countries that were included in this study. Although MNA is currently being applied for the remediation of contaminated sites, some countries still don't recognise it as an official remediation technique (e.g. Finland). This study also confirms and illustrates the differences concerning the MNA approach that exists between different countries, as well as the differences in application levels. However, it is important to note that at the same time a certain level of coherence exists concerning the MNA approach, e.g. with regard to the importance of biodegradation processes. Furthermore, the main outcome of this study emphasises the clear need to systematically collect and share information concerning existing MNA cases. Only then a clear return of experience will be possible., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cases of severe eutrophication are still observed in European surface waters even though tough regulation has been in place since the beginning of the 1990s to control nutrient losses and inputs in the environment. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the evolution since 1991 of the quality of the water entering European seas in terms of the concentration of major nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and to analyze the effectiveness of implemented national/international measures and EU legislation in reducing water nutrient pollution. Despite the reduction in large portions of the European territory of agricultural nutrient applications and nutrient point source emissions, the impact on water quality is limited. It is shown using two large river basins that this lack of response for nitrogen, and nitrate in particular, between the reduction of the nitrogen surplus and the recovery of water quality is partly explained by the lag time due to transfer of nitrates in the unsaturated and saturated zones and storage in the soils and aquifers. In order to monitor efficiently the impact of policy implementation on water quality, the Nitrates Directive and the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive in particular, it is recommended to use long term permanent monitoring stations to be able to separate the impact of climate variability from that of policy implementation. It is also recommended to investigate and develop harmonized methodologies for estimating the lag time in order to come up with realistic estimates of response time of water bodies due to the implementation of measures., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Large-scale use of leaded gasoline was an important source of the neurotoxin lead in the European environment. After a sequence of regulations on the allowed gasoline lead content and, eventually, a ban on the use of lead additives in gasoline, road transport was no longer considered a source of atmospheric lead. Currently a discrepancy exists between measured atmospheric lead concentrations and model-predicted concentrations, suggesting that lead emissions to the atmosphere may be underestimated. Recently it was suggested that lead emission from unleaded gasoline combustion is still an important source and may (partly) fill the gap between modelled and observed atmospheric lead concentrations. In this paper we assess the plausibility of the latter suggestion by following various emission estimation methodologies. The uncertainty of lead emissions from road transport is further reduced by chemical analysis of fuel samples. The result of our assessment is that lead from road transport fuel combustion is not the missing lead source needed to fill the gap between modelled and observed lead concentrations. Road transport is still a source of lead through brake wear and a small contribution from exhaust emissions but this contributes no more than 5-8% of the EU25 total emission.

The EU Water Framework and Groundwater directives stipulate that EU member states have to assess groundwater chemical status by the use of groundwater threshold values derived for the protection of dependent ecosystems and human health. This paper presents a synthesis of main results of 14 European case studies evaluating a methodology for derivation of natural background levels (NBLs) and groundwater threshold values (TVs) proposed by the EU research project "BRIDGE". The 14 investigated groundwater bodies were selected to represent as many aquifer types, climate settings and European ecoregions as possible within the project group that included partners from 17 EU countries. The selected case study sites include transboundary groundwater bodies, EU Pilot River Basins and other important groundwater systems. Some are known to interact with associated ecosystems, while others do not. The proposed method derives groundwater threshold values based on environmental objectives for dependent ecosystems or groundwater "itself" using relevant reference criteria such as natural background levels, environmental quality standards and drinking water standards. Derived groundwater threshold values for dissolved Cl and As applying drinking water standards as examples of reference values, are compared for all 14 case studies. Additionally, more detailed analyses are conducted for the Odense Pilot River Basin and the Vouga River Basin, where groundwater threshold values for N and P and Cl, As, Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn, respectively, are derived based on environmental objectives and quality standards for groundwater dependent ecosystems. Results demonstrate that the proposed methodology is operational and may be used to protect human health and the environment. Further they show that groundwater threshold values derived from environmental objectives and environmental quality standards for dependent ecosystems in some cases may be significantly lower than drinking water standards, e.g. for nitrate.

The paper reviews the current state of knowledge regarding European emissions of mercury and presents estimates of European emissions of mercury to the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources for the year 2000. This information was then used as a basis for Hg emission scenario development until the year 2020. Combustion of coal in power plants and residential heat furnaces generates about half of the European emissions being 239 tonnes. The coal combustion is followed by the production of caustic soda with the use of the Hg cell process (17%). Major points of mercury emission generation in the mercury cell process include: by-product hydrogen stream, end box ventilation air, and cell room ventilation air. This technology is now being changed to other caustic soda production technologies and further reduction of Hg emissions is expected in this connection. The third category on the list of the largest Hg emitters in Europe is cement production (about 13%). The largest emissions were estimated for Russia (the European part of the country), contributing with about 27% to the European emissions, followed by Poland, Germany, Spain, Ukraine, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Most of these countries use coal as a major source of energy in order to meet the electricity and heat demands. In general, countries in the Central and Eastern Europe generated the main part of the European emissions in 2000. Emission reductions between 20% and 80% of the 2000 emission amounts can be obtained by the year 2020, as estimated by various scenarios.

The operational application of remote sensing technologies to lake water quality monitoring requires products derived from remote sensing to be quantitatively self-consistent and have a certified accuracy. Fundamental elements in this quality assurance framework are sensor radiometric calibration and atmospheric correction models, which are briefly discussed in the paper. In order to evaluate the accuracy of present operational techniques to retrieve basic parameters from satellite data, such as water-leaving radiance and reflectance, an experiment was organised in the frame of SAtellite remote sensing for Lake MONitoring (SALMON), a European Union co-funded research project. A series of ship-based radiometric and atmospheric measuring campaigns were conducted on Lake Iseo and Lake Garda (Italy) together with limnological sampling. Four Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) scenes were acquired during different seasons and simultaneous in situ measurements were made. After the radiometric calibration procedure, satellite digital images were processed by applying two entirely image-based atmospheric correction models. These models account for the effects of both additive scattering and multiplicative transmittance effects in the atmosphere on the at-satellite measured signal. The results achieved using these procedures were evaluated by comparing satellite-based estimates with in situ measurements of water reflectance. The root mean square difference between Landsat TM-derived reflectance values and ground measurements was close to 0.010 reflectance for each TM spectral band. Such image-based correction models, requiring no in situ field measurements during the satellite overpass, constitute a valid method of lake water monitoring.

The objective of this paper is to devise a way to facilitate the use of fixed air monitors data in order to assess population exposure. A weighting scheme that uses the data from different monitoring sites and takes into account the time-activity patterns of the study population is proposed. PM2.5 personal monitoring data were obtained within the European EXPOLIS study, in Grenoble, France (40 adult non-smoking volunteers, winter 1997). Volunteers carried PM2.5 personal monitors during 48 h and filled in time-activity diaries. Workplaces and places of residence were classified into two categories using a Geographic Information System (GIS): some volunteers' life environments are seen as best represented by PM10 ambient air monitors located in urban background sites; others by monitors situated close to high traffic density sites (proximity sites). Measurements from the Grenoble fixed monitoring network using a TEOM PM10 sampler were available across the same period for these two types of sites (PM10block and PM10prox). These data were used to compute a translator parameter deltai that forces the measured PM2.5 personal exposures (PM2.5persoi) to equate the average PM10 urban ambient air concentrations ([PM10back + PM10prox]/2) measured the same days. Average deltai was 4.2 microg/m3 (CI95%[-3.4; 11.9]), with true average PM2.5 personal exposure being 36.2 microg/m3 (28.2; 44.1). PM10 ambient levels at the proximity site and at the background site were respectively PM10prox = 43.8 microg/m3 (37.1; 50.6) and PM10back = 37.0 microg/m3 (31.8; 42.3). In order to assess the consistency of this approach, six scenarios of 'proximity' and 'background' environments were accommodated, according to traffic intensity and road distance. Deltai was estimated for the entire EXPOLIS population and for subgroups, using terciles based on the percentage of time spent in proximity by each subject. Other similar studies need to be conducted in different urban settings, and with other pollutants, in order to assess the generalizability of this simple approach to estimate population exposures from air quality surveillance data.

Within the member countries of the European Union, different strategies and guidelines for the sampling and the preparation of soils are used to investigate soil contamination. As a consequence, there is reasonable doubt that the results gained by applying these different strategies and methods are comparable. In general, the relative contribution of sampling and sample preparation to the total uncertainty in soil contamination studies is a subject of speculation than of knowledge. For this purpose, the first European soil sampling inter-comparison test was organised as a project under the Standards, Measurement and Testing Programme of the European Commission. The aim of this project was to analyse and to compare the existing guidelines, the degree and the state of standardisation in this field in the European countries, and to compare their results when applied on the same test area under comparable conditions by representative sampling teams. The results of the project in general demonstrate that sampling and sample preparation errors reach about the same order of magnitude as errors caused in the chemical analysis. However, there are great differences depending on the elements investigated and their concentration ranges, as well as on pedological and land-use conditions in the test area. Consequently, sampling and sample preparation require the same attentiveness and equivalent measures for quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) as the chemical analysis, which has not been the case up to now. Insufficient comparability of the results is illustrated by the fact that different participants arrive at different conclusions for up to 61% of tested soil quality criteria (e.g. threshold levels). The methods and results of the project are presented in detail in the six following papers within this volume. The following 13 papers present some key studies and specific contributions of the participants, as well as synoptical papers of the invited experts in standardisation and accreditation.

The aim of the CEEM soil project was to compare and to test the soil sampling and sample preparation guidelines used in the member states of the European Union and Switzerland for investigations of background and large-scale contamination of soils, soil monitoring and environmental risk assessments. The results of the comparative evaluation of the sampling guidelines demonstrated that, in soil contamination studies carried out with different sampling strategies and methods, comparable results can hardly be expected. Therefore, a reference database (RDB) was established by the organisers, which acted as a basis for the quantitative comparison of the participants' results. The detected deviations were related to the methodological details of the individual strategies. The comparative evaluation concept consisted of three steps: The first step was a comparison of the participants' samples (which were both centrally and individually analysed) between each other, as well as with the reference data base (RDB) and some given soil quality standards on the level of concentrations present. The comparison was made using the example of the metals cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. As a second step, the absolute and relative deviations between the reference database and the participants' results (both centrally analysed under repeatability conditions) were calculated. The comparability of the samples with the RDB was categorised on four levels. Methods of exploratory statistical analysis were applied to estimate the differential method bias among the participants. The levels of error caused by sampling and sample preparation were compared with those caused by the analytical procedures. As a third step, the methodological profiles of the participants were compiled to concisely describe the different procedures used. They were related to the results to find out the main factors leading to their incomparability. The outcome of this evaluation process was a list of strategies and methods, which are problematic with respect to comparability, and should be standardised and/or specified in order to arrive at representative and comparable results in soil contamination studies throughout Europe. Pre-normative recommendations for harmonising European soil sampling guidelines and standard operating procedures have been outlined in Wagner G, Desules A, Muntau H, Theocharopoulos S. Comparative Evaluation of European Methods for Sampling and Sample Preparation of Soils for Inorganic Analysis (CEEM Soil). Final Report of the Contract SMT4-CT96-2085, Sci Total Environ 2001;264:181-186. Wagner G, Desaules A, Munatu H. Theocharopolous S, Quevauvaller Ph. Suggestions for harmonising sampling and sample pre-treatment procedures and improving quality assurance in pre-analytical steps of soil contamination studies. Paper 1.7 Sci Total Environ 2001b;264:103-118.

The paper summarises the project's results and consequences including expert's statements. Based on sampling strategies and methodological details which have been recognised to be critical for the comparability of the results of soil contamination studies, recommendations are given towards harmonisation of soil sampling guidelines, improvement of quality assurance of pre-analytical steps and inclusion of soil sampling into accreditation systems. Recommended approaches to improve QA and QC in soil sampling are: harmonised guidelines; specified SOPs; written sampling (strategy) plans; defined qualification and experience of sampling personnel; sampling records; regular interlaboratory comparisons (proficency tests) for sampling; and inclusion of sampling and sample preparation into accreditation procedures. Needs for further research in the field of pre-analytical phases of soil contamination studies are outlined and further R&D projects are encouraged.

The soil sampling guidelines used in European countries (ESSG), as kindly provided by the national institutions which participated in the project, have been recorded, studied, evaluated and presented in this paper. The aim has been to ascertain what soil sampling guidelines exist in Europe; to detect similarities and differences (comparable results), advantages and deficiencies; to identify incompatible strategies and evaluate how methodologies might affect data quality; to investigate sources of deviations or uncertainties; to improve comparability and representativeness of soil sampling; to investigate the need for harmonised sampling guidelines; and to develop suggestions for standard operating procedures (SOP). Soil sampling guidelines throughout Europe differ as to whether they are applied by law, or used throughout the country. In some countries these are ISO/DIS related or based (ISO 10381-1, 1995; ISO 10381-2, 1995), or are produced by a scientific society or a standardisation body. As far as sampling strategy is concerned, not all sampling guidelines clearly describe the sampling scale, the specifications for contamination risk precautions, the sampling plan and protocol structure and the pre-analysis treatment of the soil samples. The purpose for sampling, in descending order of frequency, is soil pollution, soil fertilisation, general soil monitoring, background risk assessment, or else it is not specified. The majority of countries do not sample the top organic matter separately. Sampling depth is either related to the morphogenetic horizon or to ad hoc sampling depth, which is not specified in all cases. They suggest mass- and volume-related soil sampling, while the sampling pattern is not presented in all national guidelines. The criteria for area, site, unit, sub-unit, and point selection are mainly based on pedology and land use, following the history and pre-screening information or geology, or is site related. Some guidelines suggest the division of sampling units into sub-units. The sampling pattern is mainly grid sampling, grid and random sampling, or not mentioned. Sampling density inside the sampling unit either varies greatly or it is not mentioned, while the size of the sampling unit varies widely. Most guidelines require the collection of composite instead of simple samples, while some prefer sampling soil profiles. In the European SSG many technical details and steps are either not defined or vary, while in the pre-analysis treatment quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) approaches are used either both in the lab and in the field, or only in the field, or are not mentioned. The common points and the points in which harmonisation could be started or achieved are discussed.

Organic matter (OM) has numerous geochemical and ecological functions in inland waters and can affect water quality. Different parameters of aquatic OM are measured with various methods as no single analytical tool can provide definitive structural or functional information about it. In the present paper we review different OM metrics used in the European Union (EU) lake surveillance monitoring programmes and assess their suitability to provide sufficient data about the brownification and enrichment with oxygen consuming substances in European lakes. In the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), metrics of OM are not mandatory physico-chemical parameters, but only recommended parameters to characterize water transparency, oxygenation conditions or acidification status. Our analysis shows that, as lake OM is monitored under the WFD in only 14 countries, no Europe-wide conclusions on the situation regarding brownification and organic enrichment can be drawn based on these data. Applied parameters in lake surveillance monitoring programmes are biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), water colour (WCol), and yellow substance. Different national OM metrics used avoid getting a broad picture of lake OM concentration changes in Europe over the last decades. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that the possibilities to convert different OM parameters to each other are limited because empirical relationships between them are region-specific. OM sensors for continuous measurements and remote sensing surveys could improve the effectiveness of lake OM monitoring, especially its temporal and spatial representativeness. It would be highly suggested to include in lake monitoring programmes also methods (e.g. absorbance or fluorescence spectroscopy) allowing to characterize the composition of OM as it influences strongly the biogeochemical role of OM in lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sarno River trend analysis during the last 60 years was traced focusing on the socio-economic and environmental issues. The river, originally worshiped as a god by Romans, is affected by an extreme level of environmental degradation, being sadly reputed as the most polluted river in Europe. This is the “not to be followed” example of the worst way a European river can be managed. Data about water, sediment, soil, biota and air contamination were collected from scientific papers, monitoring surveys, and technical reports depicting a sick river. Originally, the river was reputed as a source of livelihood, now it is considered a direct threat for human health. Wastewater can still flow through the river partially or completely untreated, waste production associated with the manufacture of metal products and leather tanning continues to suffer from the historical inadequacy of regional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), associated with the partial or no reuse of effluents. All efforts should be devoted to solving the lack of wastewater and waste management, the gap in land planning, improving the capacity of existing WWTPs also via the construction of new sewer sections, restoring Sarno River minimum vital-flow, keeping to a minimum uncontrolled discharges as well as supporting river contracts. The 2015 goal stated by the Water Framework Directive ( 2000/60/EC ) is still far to be reached. The lesson has not been learnt yet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The CAQI or Common Air Quality Index was proposed to facilitate the comparison of air quality in European cities in real-time. There are many air quality indices in use in the world. All are somewhat different in concept and presentation and comparing air quality presentations of cities on the internet was virtually impossible. The CAQI and the accompanying website www.airqualitynow.eu and app were proposed to overcome this problem in Europe. This paper describes the logic of making an index, in particular the CAQI and its update with a grid for PM2.5. To assure a smooth transition to the new calculation scheme we studied the behaviour of the index before and after the changes. We used 2006 Airbase data from 31 urban background and 27 street stations all across Europe (that were monitoring PM2.5 in 2006). The CAQI characterises a city by a roadside and urban background situation. It also insists on a minimum number of pollutants to be included in the calculation. Both were deemed necessary to improve the basis for comparing one city to another. A sensitivity analysis demonstrates the comparative behaviour of the street and urban background stations and presents the sensitivity of the CAQI outcome to the pollutants included in its calculation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]