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Without the presence of chemicals in the nature there would be no color, no odor and no taste
Our natural environment consists of an enormous variety of chemical compounds. They comprise major constituents of any living organism, including humans. Whatever an organism does, may it be growing, reproducing, moving or even stop living, is based on a manifold variety of chemicals and the reactions between them. Without the presence of chemicals in the nature there would be no color, no odor and no taste. Animals use chemicals to find their partner or to repel their enemies. In a long co-evolution since the beginning of life on Earth, organisms learnt to use, metabolize or avoid these natural chemicals.
Modern life, wellbeing, economy, mobility and communication depends greatly on synthetic chemicals
Particularly since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, mankind started to synthesize new chemicals on the basis of fossil fuels. A myriad of different compounds were developed and produced to serve human requirements in almost every sphere of life. Plastics and synthetic fibres with tailor-made properties for many different uses replaced natural materials. A large number of chemical additives make sure that these materials don’t burn and have the consistency and the colors we like. We protect our crops with synthetic pesticides, cure our diseases with pharmaceuticals and enhance our attractiveness with fragrances. Modern life, wellbeing, economy, mobility and communication depends greatly on synthetic chemicals.
Living organisms did not have the opportunity to adapt during the millions of years of evolution to these new chemicals
However, most of the chemicals we use enter sooner or later into the natural environment, where they may pose a risk to ecosystems and to human health. Living organisms did not have the opportunity to adapt during the millions of years of evolution to these new chemicals, and therefore may response very sensitively to its exposure. Prohibition of hazardous chemicals, but also human creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and new societal demands trigger the development and use of many new chemicals every year. For the so-called emerging pollutants we still know very little about their presence, fate and effects in the natural environment. There is a severe concern that these compounds enter into our water resources along with treated or non-treated municipal or industrial wastewater, as residuals from agriculture practices or from any other source, as single substances or as part of chemical cocktails, and in the end they compromise the water quality.
“Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such”
“Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such.” This claim, stated by the EU Water Framework Directive on water as a key resource for ecosystems and human life, is still in contrast with an often poor ecological status in many European rivers and lakes. Sensitive species are disappearing, thousands of anthropogenic chemicals can be detected and contribute to the deterioration of our water resources. For scientists as well as regulators this issue poses several questions.
Which chemicals may endanger drinking water quality?
What are the best tools to find those chemicals, among the thousands of them in daily use, that pose a risk to fish, crayfish, mussels and water plants? Which chemicals may endanger drinking water quality? How can we understand and detect effects on aquatic organisms within the complexity of ecosystems? What are the interactions of risky chemicals with natural biochemical processes, from the cellular level up to the deterioration of whole communities? Tools
How can we use models to predict which of the many chemicals that we presently use may be dangerous?
How can we use models to predict which of the many chemicals that we presently use, and also which of the ready to enter into the market may be dangerous? Can we reliably predict risks if we better understand the chemicals emissions, transport, fate and effects in the environment? Models
... to identify River Basin Specific Pollutants and to evaluate abatement options
SOLUTIONS wants to find answers to these questions. This requires the development of powerful tools and models, but also their rigorous evaluation under real world conditions. SOLUTIONS selected the case studies Danube, Rhine, Ebro and some other Iberian rivers - under water scarcity conditions - to identify River Basin Specific Pollutants and to evaluate abatement options in waste- and drinking water management. Cases
... to translate scientific results into real options for action
Although SOLUTIONS is mainly a scientific project, it wants to be much more. Thus, we have to answer the question how to translate scientific results into real options for action to achieve a safe management of water and chemicals in a changing world. Concepts & Solutions
SOLUTIONS addresses these questions in an interdisciplinary consortium
SOLUTIONS addresses these questions in an interdisciplinary consortium composed of 39 renowned scientific institutions and enterprises from Europe, Brazil, China, and Australia. In addition, SOLUTIONS works in close collaboration with relevant organizations at the decision-making level through its Stakeholder Board

Our natural environment consists of an enormous variety of chemical compounds ...

Background

Chemical World

They’re everywhere. In the cosmetics we use, the food we eat and the homes in which we live. Our daily lives are awash with chemicals. Every year, up to 400 million tonnes are produced and a thousand new substances concocted. Individually, each chemical, used in a minute quantity, may be harmless, but there’s growing concern about the combined effect as they accumulate in our bodies.

guardian.co.uk / Guardian News & Media Ltd. 2004

Chemical Pollution

Currently, there are millions of known chemical substances ( latest number can be found on the link). Approximately 100,000 of them occur in everyday products, and many more are in use throughout industry worldwide. A good part of them ends up sooner or later into surface and groundwaters. While the presence and concentration of so-called Priority Pollutants and classical Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are declining, there are strong indications that the complex mixture of numerous emerging pollutants including pesticides, biocides, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, additives to food and plastics, and many more pose a risk to aquatic ecosystems and human health.

SOLUTIONS searches for new and improved tools, models, and methods to support decisions in environmental and water policies. To this end, SOLUTIONS addresses major gaps in assessing the presence and effect of emerging pollutants including:

detection at very low concentration
toxicant identification
fate prediction
European scale exposure prediction
scenarios for pollution of the future
abatement options

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Water Quality

Ecological and chemical quality of European rivers and lakes, as well as groundwaters, is endangered by many factors such as an overload with nutrients causing eutrophication, the channelization and interruption of many rivers by dams and weirs, and invasive species coming from other parts of the world with ships or by connection of different river basins with channels. One of the important factors contributing to the concert of multiple stress is the complex
cocktail of anthropogenic chemicals that can be found in water, sediments but also the organisms themselves, which may cause adverse effects on the community of organisms living in aquatic ecosystems. Humans are also exposed to that cocktail through for example the consumption of drinking water and fish.

The presence and concentration of certain pollutants in the waters of the EU is monitored. But, very probably, there are many more chemicals posing a risk to the natural environment and the human health. Despite significant management efforts addressing habitat quality, the good ecological status of European surface waters, as required by the Water Framework Directive -WFD-, is not achieved in most water bodies. Sensitive species are declining and important ecosystem goods and services are endangered.

SOLUTIONS searches for new and improved tools, models, and methods to support decisions in environmental and water policies. To this end, SOLUTIONS provides innovative approaches for assessing the effect of emerging pollutants on the status of water resources including:

effect-based monitoring
ecological assessment
toxicity prediction
mixture effect prediction
ecological and human risk modelling

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Without the presence of chemicals in the nature there would be no color, no odor and no taste

Modern life, wellbeing, economy, mobility and communication depends greatly on synthetic chemicals

Living organisms did not have the opportunity to adapt during the millions of years of evolution to these new chemicals

“Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such”

Which chemicals may endanger drinking water quality?

How can we use models to predict which of the many chemicals that we presently use may be dangerous?

... to identify River Basin Specific Pollutants and to evaluate abatement options

... to translate scientific results into real options for action

SOLUTIONS addresses these questions in an interdisciplinary consortium

Chemical World

Chemical Pollution

Chemical Pollution

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Water Quality

Water Quality

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