Discharges of halogenated organic compounds ME-7

The amount of organo-halogenated compounds emitted directly or indirectly (via rivers) into the coastal zone and marine environment. Unit: tonnes or grams depending on compound/annum in specified area.

In “ Towards Sustainability ” ( EC’s progress report and action plan on the 5EAP, DG XI’s publication 1997 ), Annex 2 tables summaris e 5EAP targets and progress done since 1993:

- “r eduction of discharges of all substances which due to their toxic persistence or accumulating impact could negatively affect the environment, to levels which are not harmful... ” (p. 164), (in 5EAP see Chapter 5: The themes and targets of the programmes, section 5.4: Management of water resources),

Chapter 17 : Protection of the oceans, all kinds of seas, including enclosed and semi-enclosed seas, and coastal areas and the protection, rational use and development of their living resources . (See particularly section B. Marine environmental protection, item 17.28, which includes as priority actions concerning other sources of pollution, the elimination of “the emission or discharge of organohalogen compounds that threaten to accumulate tod angerous levels in the marine environment”.
Chapter 20 : Environmentally-sound management of hazardous wastes .

List I in Dangerous Substances Directive (76/464/EEC) to be eliminated as discharges to waters. Daughter directives 86/280/EEC, 88/347/EEC and 90/415/EEC set limit values and quality objectives for annex substances. Also includes authorisations and monitoring requirments.

OSPARCOM (Oslo, 1972 and Paris, 1974), HELCOM (Helsinki, 1994) and the North Sea treaty. Some haloforms like DDT are now banned. Receiving sea water standards (e.g. US EPA) are in 10^-4 microgram/liter levels, which leads back to discharges from many sources will be below detection. In the 5EAP, the focus was on reduction of use of pesticides and targets set here, rather than on monitoring the discharge.

• Highlight organo-halogenated compound discharges to the coastal and marine environment in chosen areas or from selected sources as significant danger to the receiving areas and man who may take up these compounds or new complexes with marine food.

Haloforms though manufactured and added to compounds to fulfil a function such as to kill weeds or vermin, are always undesirable in the coastal and marine ecosystem. Many are carcinogenic, mutagenic, long lasting and can break down into daughter products, or further complex posing new danger to human and animal life.

In the Dispersion of Toxic Substances policy field, the indicator is linked to TX-3: Toxic chemicals consumption and TX-1: Consumption of pesticides by agriculture. Most other TX indicators can be indirectly related to halogenated organic compounds due to associated human activity and technologies used.

In EC Towards Sustainability 1997: Reduction of discharges of all substances which due to their toxic persistence or accumulating impact could negatively affect the environment, to levels which are not harmful...

In individual sea agreements , reductions or phasing out. Most far reaching is the Fourth North Sea Conference Esbjerg Declaration (1995) to “cease discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances to the North Sea by 2020 ” (Article 17) .

This is a group indicator, including all organic compounds containing halogens (bromine, chlorine, fluoride, iodine) . Many pesticides and all PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are organo-halogenated compounds. Some such as DDT and PCBs were first widely used, then shown to be extremely harmful and use was restricted or banned. Yet their persistence in the environment and the sea as final sink will see continued problems associated with their earlier use.

It would be almost impossible to obtain accurate information o n the inputs into the marine environment as organo-halogenated compounds can arise from so many sources and such small amounts may already have a detrimental effect and/or bioaccumulate to “add up to ” an effect. It is not known how much of present monitoring showing no organo halogenated compounds present is due to limits of our measurement techniques - ie compounds are there, but below detection.

To obtain accurate data where improvements could be measured, it may be best to track a few chosen members of the group. Even here emissions may be far more cost intensive and bring less acurate results than sales, or use surveys - e.g. pesticide sales are to be covered under national registers (Plant Protection Directive 91/414/EEC) . A complementary avenue may be to record number of instances of spills and/or records of high organo -halogen concentrations noted per annum. PCBs for instance (synthetic components of transformer coolant oils) are known to have entered waters in high concentrations as spillages or poor dismantling scraping practise. Spills are suspected to be quite common, but no register exists in at least some European countries.