Biological monitoring CEN standards

1. Linda Davies Centre for Environmental Policy Biological monitoringCEN standards

2. BIOMONITORING Proposal for a European Standard for monitoring air quality German VDI and French AFNOR each recommended four different methodologies already in use in their respective countries BSI agreed to support the development of the standards through the Ambient Atmospheres Committee (E/H/2/3). Secretariat provided by NPL Two working groups established in 2007 Three year plan: elaborate pre-draft and submit to Formal Vote Widely circulated for consultation via national standards institutes

3. Flowering plants: Rye grass • Working Group WG30: Loliummultiflorum (rye grass) for the detection of metals, sulphur and selenium, persistent organics • Led by German VDI • Follows progress made by Eurobionet • Combines drafts from French and Germans • Pots of rye grass exposed for a defined growing period , harvested and analysed for concentration of various pollutants, repeated throughout growing season

4. Progress to date • The methodology should be considered in relation to both temporal and spatial scales. • Monitoring with grass cultures is more efficient than deposition gauges for mercury and fluoride only. • For other pollutants deposition gauges are a more accurate and precise form of monitoring although they do not demonstrate long-term accumulation (but neither does monthly grass sampling only in situ sampling) • Monitoring with grasses is important for human health in relation to pollutant accumulation in the food chain. • Monitoring with grasses is important in relation to animal feed. • It is preferable to monitor under conditions as close to nature as possible in relation to accumulation in food. Therefore the Belgian method of monitoring is ground based using large containers. • Most other countries use pots on stands of a fixed height and diameter thought to best capture particles and be most effective alert system after which more sophisticated monitoring can be commissioned

5. Flowering plants: Tobacco • Standard cultures of N.tabaccum Bel W3 and Bel B • Expose young cultivars in pots at standard height • 6 pots per exposure, shaded from direct sunlight • Calculate the degree of injury on x leaves per exposure

6. Non-Flowering:Mosses • Follows UNECE methodology • Suitable for suite of metals and persistent organics • Number of samples will depend on the purpose of the assessment • Species choice but consistency required • Analysis of dried material • Seasonal variations so defined collection periods

7. Non-flowering:Lichens • Led by Italians • Methodology for surveys close to completion • Many areas of disagreement within the group • Academic versus practical application • Relationship between lichens or lichen communities and air pollution more diffcult so two stage approach under consideration • Research programme for lichen physiology agreed • Cost Action outline proposal submitted Oct 09

8. Lichens on Ash under high NOx(Davies et al, 2005) Higher diversity in many of the inner London boroughs than in the suburbs

9. Consultation • More information available on: • www.cen.eu/ • Contact me if you want to receive draft methodologies

10. Biomonitoring and Air Quality • Pre amble in all Standards on role of biomonitoring in EU regulation: • 6th Environmental Action Programme • IPPC: Application for permits and condition of permits :Effects based approach • Air Quality Framework Directive • CAFE • Habitats Directive