WFD/WG-E/drafting group on emissions Kick-off meeting 24 February 2009 Hanne-Grete Nilsen

1. OSPAR Convention on Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic - Hazardous Substances Strategy WFD/WG-E/drafting group on emissions Kick-off meeting 24 February 2009 Hanne-Grete Nilsen

2. About OSPAR General obligation: • to prevent and eliminate pollution • to protect the sea against the adverse effects of human activities • to safeguard human health • to conserve marine ecosystems • when practicable, restore marine areas which have been adversely affected Region I: Arctic Waters Region II: Greater North Sea Region III: Celtic Seas Region IV: Bay of Biscay/Iberian Coast Region V: Wider Atlantic

3. Means include: Programmes and measures Implementation reporting Monitoring and assessment Observers (NGOs, IGOs) Cooperation with competent authorities and organisations How does OSPAR work?

4. 5 thematic Strategies: objectives, timeframes and approaches to tackling the main environmental problems: Hazardous Substances Eutrophication Radioactive Substances Offshore industries Biodiversity and Ecosystems 6th Strategy: Joint monitoring and assessment programme to assess quality status and progress in implementing the Strategies OSPAR Strategies

5. Hazardous Substances Strategy • Objective: to prevent pollution by continuously reducing discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances, with the target of their cessation by 2020. The ultimate aim is to achieve concentrations in the marine environment near background values for naturally occurring substances and close to zero for man-made synthetic substances. • Selection and prioritisation of chemicals • Measures to reduce releases of chemicals to the environment • Monitoring of releases and concentrations and effects in the marine environment

6. Selection and prioritisation of hazardous substances • The dynamic selection and prioritisation mechanism for hazardous substances (DYNAMEC) • List of Chemicals for Priority Action (LCPA) • The focus has been on 26 priority chemicals • Background Documents • List of Substances of Possible Concern (LSPC) • More than 300 substances • Deselection • No re-run of DYNAMEC

7. OSPAR priority chemicals

8. Screening of LSPC A screening of the LSPC has recently been performed to help OSPAR to focus further attention on those substances in open use which are presently not covered by the EC: • 117 (groups of) substances needs further review; • The rest has been set aside because they are either: • adequately addressed by EC initiatives or other international forums; • not produced and/or used in the OSPAR catchment or are used in sufficiently contained systems; • or do not appear to be “hazardous substances”, but where the evidence is not conclusive.

9. Measures – Point sources Main sectors addressed; sources of heavy metals, organohalogens and PAHs. • Iron and steel industry (primary and secondary) • Non-ferrous metal industry (primary and secondary) • Surface treatment of metals • Chlor-alkali industry • Textile industry • Pharmaceutical industry • Organic chemical industry • Large combustion plants • Pulp and paper industry • Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) industry • Refineries

10. Measures – Diffuse sources

11. Monitoring and assessment - RID Riverine inputs of heavy metals to the OSPAR Regions in 1990 – 2006

12. OSPAR Comprehensive AtmosphericMonitoring Programme (CAMP) • The best data coverage in Region II. For all other Regions data are sparse and the trend analysis is very limited. In general the availability of precipitation data is better than of the measurements in air. • The concentrations of all heavy metals in precipitation show a decrease for Region II. No measurements in precipitation for other regions were available for an assessment. • The aerosol data also show in general downward trends. • The measurements of the lindane concentration in precipitation for Region I and II showed clear downward trends. • EMEP modeling used to complement the atmospheric inputs assessments.

13. The Co-ordinated Environmental Monitoring Programme (CEMP) • Monitoring is mainly around contaminated coastal areas to assess the response to pollution control measures. • Includes: cadmium, mercury, PCBs, PAHs and TBT • To be included: brominated flame retardants, dioxins, PFOS and a range of biological effects of hazardous substances. • Levels of metals, PCBs, and PAHs in the environment are generally decreasing but in some coastal areas they are still at levels that may give rise to pollution effects

14. Progress towards cessation target

15. Further work needed PAHs, dioxins, heavy metals: • further improvement and application of emission abatement technology in combustion processes required; • Effective implementation of the IPPC Directive; • target other sources, (lead in ammunition and fishing equipment, mercury in dentistry) PFOS/BFRs: • management of waste streams • Uses of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) not sufficiently regulated • Use of decaBDE and TBBP-A have risen as a result of ban of PentaBDE and OctaBDE; • The importation of goods containing PFOS,polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other priority chemicals may further add to diffuse releases. Chlorinated paraffins • MCCPs substitute for the main application of SCCPs as metal and leather working fluids. Phthalates, clotrimazole, octylphenol and trichlorobenzenes (suspected EDs) • Very little monitoring is in place to track releases.

16. Overall conclusions • Most priority chemicals require additional actions to further progress towards the cessation target. • OSPAR has largely established priorities for action. Endocrine disruptors needs to be addressed • Increasingly the European Community has covered the field of OSPAR’s work on hazardous substances. OSPAR will continue to promote actions within the EC. • Review of OSPAR strategies will conclude on to further OSPAR action • More information on production and use and monitoring data needed • Need to address remaining sources, especially consumer products • require support through global actions to address priority chemicals produced and used in other parts of the world. • Cooperation between OSPAR and WG-E mutual benficial