3 research outputs found
Screening of benzodiazepines in thirty European rivers
Pharmaceuticals as environmental contaminants have received a lot of interest over the past decade but,
for several pharmaceuticals, relatively little is known about their occurrence in European surface waters.
Benzodiazepines, a class of pharmaceuticals with anxiolytic properties, have received interest due to
their behavioral modifying effect on exposed biota. In this study, our results show the presence of one or
more benzodiazepine(s) in 86% of the analyzed surface water samples (n ¼ 138) from 30 rivers, representing
seven larger European catchments. Of the 13 benzodiazepines included in the study, we detected
9, which together showed median and mean concentrations (of the results above limit of quantification)
of 5.4 and 9.6 ng L1, respectively. Four benzodiazepines (oxazepam, temazepam, clobazam, and bromazepam)
were the most commonly detected. In particular, oxazepam had the highest frequency of
detection (85%) and a maximum concentration of 61 ng L1. Temazepam and clobazam were found in
26% (maximum concentration of 39 ng L1) and 14% (maximum concentration of 11 ng L1) of the
samples analyzed, respectively. Finally, bromazepam was found only in Germany and in 16 out of total
138 samples (12%), with a maximum concentration of 320 ng L1. This study clearly shows that benzodiazepines
are common micro-contaminants of the largest European river systems at ng L1 levels.
Although these concentrations are more than a magnitude lower than those reported to have effective effects on exposed biota, environmental effects cannot be excluded considering the possibility of additive
and sub-lethal effects.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource
Managing aquatic ecosystems and water resources under multiple stress - an introduction to the MARS project
Water resources globally are affected by a complex mixture of stressors resulting from a
range of drivers, including urban and agricultural land use, hydropower generation and climate
change. Understanding how stressors interfere and impact upon ecological status and ecosystem
services is essential for developing effective River Basin Management Plans and shaping future
environmental policy. This paper details the nature of these problems for Europe's water resources
and the need to find solutions at a range of spatial scales. In terms of the latter, we describe the aims
and approaches of the EU-funded project MARS (Managing Aquatic ecosystems and water Resources
under multiple Stress) and the conceptual and analytical framework that it is adopting to provide this
knowledge, understanding and tools needed to address multiple stressors. MARS is operating at three
scales: At the water body scale, the mechanistic understanding of stressor interactions and their
impact upon water resources, ecological status and ecosystem services will be examined through
multi-factorial experiments and the analysis of long time-series. At the river basin scale, modelling and
empirical approaches will be adopted to characterise relationships between multiple stressors and
ecological responses, functions, services and water resources. The effects of future land use and
mitigation scenarios in 16 European river basins will be assessed. At the European scale, large-scale
spatial analysis will be carried out to identify the relationships among stress intensity, ecological status
and service provision, with a special focus on large transboundary rivers, lakes and fish. The project
will support managers and policy makers in the practical implementation of the Water Framework
Directive (WFD), of related legislation and of the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources by
advising the 3rd River Basin Management Planning cycle, the revision of the WFD and by developing
new tools for diagnosing and predicting multiple stressors.JRC.H.1-Water Resource
Managing aquatic ecosystems and water resources under multiple stress — an introduction to the MARS project
Water resources globally are affected by a complex mixture of stressors resulting from a range of drivers, including urban and agricultural land use, hydropower generation and climate change. Understanding how stressors interfere and impact upon ecological status and ecosystem services is essential for developing effective River Basin Management Plans and shaping future environmental policy. This paper details the nature of these problems for Europe's water resources and the need to find solutions at a range of spatial scales. In terms of the latter, we describe the aims and approaches of the EU-funded project MARS (Managing Aquatic ecosystems and water Resources under multiple Stress) and the conceptual and analytical framework that it is adopting to provide this knowledge, understanding and tools needed to address multiple stressors. MARS is operating at three scales: At the water body scale, the mechanistic understanding of stressor interactions and their impact upon water resources, ecological status and ecosystem services will be examined through multi-factorial experiments and the analysis of long time-series. At the river basin scale, modelling and empirical approaches will be adopted to characterise relationships between multiple stressors and ecological responses, functions, services and water resources. The effects of future land use and mitigation scenarios in 16 European river basins will be assessed. At the European scale, large-scale spatial analysis will be carried out to identify the relationships amongst stress intensity, ecological status and service provision, with a special focus on large transboundary rivers, lakes and fish. The project will support managers and policy makers in the practical implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), of related legislation and of the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources by advising the 3rd River Basin Management Planning cycle, the revision of the WFD and by developing new tools for diagnosing and predicting multiple stressors