Marine chemical contaminants – support to harmonized MSFD reporting: Substances considered for MSFD descriptor 8

The 2018 reporting on updates of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Articles 8, 9 and 10 will be supported by web forms to aid completion of the XML files by Member States. It is planned to use, wherever possible, drop-down lists to facilitate data entry, thereby also helping to ensure consistency in the data entered. This report outlines a process to prepare a list of contaminants for use in 2018 MSFD D8 reporting (as drop-down lists in the reporting web forms). This list assists in using a harmonized nomenclature for the unambiguous identification of the substances, thereby facilitating consistency in the data entry. Additionally, the compilation of the list allows for comparisons between Member States and marine regions that may support the processes of selection of relevant contaminants for D8 assessments.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Potential chemical contaminants in the marine environment: An overview of main contaminant lists

The identification of priority chemicals is a challenge for regulators, managers and researchers all around the world. This report compiles in a single list more than 2700 substances (or groups of substances) coming from main lists of chemicals compiled by relevant global conventions, European legislation, European regional seas and dedicated research work. Although not all of these contaminants are of concern for the marine environment or for a particular MSFD region/sub-region/Member State, this general overview should help understand the different options and support further developments for the monitoring and assessment of chemical pollution in European marine waters. Discussion and collaboration between the different stakeholders and expert groups will be necessary for an efficient way towards an equally high level of protection for healthy and productive oceans. This compilation also assist in using a harmonized nomenclature for the unambiguous identification of the substances of concern. It may also serve as a basis for discussions about procedures for grouping/combining substances at European level. This is expected to facilitate consistency in the upcoming 2018 MSFD data reporting.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

In-Depth Assessment of the EU Member States’ Submissions for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive under articles 8, 9 and 10

According to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), in 2012 Member States had to report on the initial assessment of their marine waters (art. 8), on the determination of good environmental status (art. 9) and on the establishment of environmental targets and associated indicators (art. 10). At the request of DG Environment, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has carried out an in-depth assessment (IDA) of the reporting done by Member States. This document presents the result of this IDA, carried out on the basis of reporting from the following Member States (MS): Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. The aims of the IDA were: i) to evaluate comparability and coherence of methods and in particular their relation to the assessments under other European and international frames and the latest scientific evidence, ii) to provide recommendations for improved implementation of the MSFD in the second cycle (2018) and iii) to support the review and the possible revision of the Commission Decision (2010/477/EU). The IDA covers all MSFD descriptors expect D3 and D7 and is presented in six chapters (biodiversity: descriptors 1, 4 and 6; non indigenous species: descriptor 2; eutrophication: descriptor 5; contaminants: descriptor 8 and 9; marine litter: descriptor 10; underwater noise and other forms of energy: descriptor 11). This IDA presents a set of suggestions that can be pursued to strengthen the further implementation of the MSFD.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Technical guidance on monitoring for the Marine Stategy Framework Directive

The Marine Directors of the European Union (EU), Acceding Countries, Candidate Countries and EFTA Countries have jointly developed a common strategy for supporting the implementation of the Directive 2008/56/EC, “the Marine Strategy Framework Directive” (MSFD). The main aim of this strategy is to allow a coherent and harmonious implementation of the Directive. Focus is on methodological questions related to a common understanding of the technical and scientific implications of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In particular, one of the objectives of the strategy is the development of non-legally binding and practical documents, such as this technical guidance on monitoring for the MSFD. These documents are targeted to those experts who are directly or indirectly implementing the MSFD in the marine regions. The document has been prepared by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) with the contribution of experts from Member States, Regional Seas Conventions and ICES and following consultation of the Working Group on Good Environmental Status.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Marine chemical contaminants – support to the harmonization of MSFD D8 methodological standards: Matrices and threshold values/reference levels for relevant substances

According to the Article 17(2) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), Member States have to review and update their marine strategies every six years. This requires updates of the MSFD Articles 8, 9 and 10 by 2018. The current report provides an overview of the substances, matrices and threshold values that Member States intend to use for the assessment of the Descriptor 8 in this MSFD reporting cycle. This compilation aims at evaluating gaps and discrepancies between Member States and identifying aspects that need further harmonization. It also helps understand which issues should be addressed to achieve consistency with the new MSFD Commission Decision (EU 2017/848). The information has been gathered from the contributions of the MSFD Expert Network on Contaminants, an informal network established to support MSFD implementation. This work is part of a process to help regulators to assess relevant contaminants in their jurisdictional area, thus aiming at EU national authorities but also at Regional Sea Conventions in the shared marine basins.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

Identification of marine specific pollutants, including emerging pollutants, in the framework of theMarine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC)

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is the policy framework for protection of the European Seas. Pollution of the marine environment by chemical substances is one of the considered anthropogenic pressures which needs to be assessed by EU Member States. There is lack of a comprehensive overview of substances released from activities at sea, in particular emerging pollutants which derive from new or growing human activities. The European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC JRC) is supporting the EU Member States by providing an overview of substances which are released at sea and can potentially cause harm to the marine wildlife. These include releases such as e.g. from shipping, resource exploitation, aquaculture and historical dumping. Specifically substances of potentially emerging concern will be considered. The study consists in the collection and analysis of available information from relevant stakeholders and information sources such as scientific journals, congress and conference proceedings, and technical publications and reports. Numerous stakeholders from the scientific and application fields are being considered as sources of information. The strategy of the information collection effort will be presented. Available georeferenced quantitative data on amounts of chemicals and their concentrations will be presented as well as data on the toxicological properties of the substances and thus the potential impact. Examples of specific substances and the available datasets will be given in the presentation. The geographical scales of contamination will be highlighted. The collected information, for use in the policy framework implementation, will support EU Member States in the prioritization of efforts, strategic planning of monitoring programs and the development of measures for protection of the marine environment.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Gaps and needs in the implementation of MSFD Descriptor 8: the selection of an appropriate core set of contaminants for monitoring

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is the policy framework for protection of the European Seas. The input of contaminants into the marine environment is considered under MSFD descriptor 8 as one of the anthropogenic pressures which needs to be assessed by EU Member States. By 2012, the first substantial steps in the implementation of the directive were taken, including the preparation of the first phase of the national marine strategies, i.e. Initial Assessment, Determination of Good Environmental Status (GES), and Setting Environmental Targets and Indicators. The European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC JRC) in-depth assessment of the Member State’s submissions for the MSFD and the subsequent discussions within the MSFD Expert Network on Contaminants have allowed the identification of gaps and needs regarding the MSFD implementation. The main identified contaminant-related issues are the selection of the chemical pollutants and best matrices for monitoring and the quantitative criteria for GES assessment. Moreover, the importance of designing monitoring programs compatible and integrated with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Regional Sea Conventions (RSCs) has also been stressed, along with the need to cover open and deep sea areas in an appropriate, representative and efficient way. These results can help to make suggestions for improvement in the next phase of MSFD implementation. For example, it has been suggested that harmonization within the EU might be improved by selecting an appropriate core set of contaminants of concern and ensuring they are well covered and monitored by all countries. While land-based issues shall be tackled by the WFD, the marine environment needs, within the MSFD, provisions which go beyond the WFD. Additional sources of information on pollutants in the marine environment should therefore be exploited, and quality standards and monitoring approaches made more consistent. Hence, the EC JRC is compiling information on all chemical contaminants which are released at sea and can potentially cause harm to the marine wildlife, in particular emerging pollutants which derive from new or growing human activities. These include e.g. shipping, resource exploitation, aquaculture and historical dumping. This information would complement efforts done under the WFD and so, support the establishment of an appropriate and consistent coastal to open sea framework for MSFD Descriptor 8 implementation across Europe.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

High resolution mass spectrometry-based non-target screening can support regulatory environmental monitoring and chemicals management

Non-target screening (NTS) including suspect screening with high resolution mass spectrometry has already shown its feasibility in detecting and identifying emerging contaminants, which subsequently triggered exposure mitigating measures. NTS has a large potential for tasks such as efective evaluation of regulations for safe marketing of substances and products, prioritization of substances for monitoring programmes and assessment of environmental quality. To achieve this, a further development of NTS methodology is required, including: (i) harmonized protocols and quality requirements, (ii) infrastructures for efcient data management, data evaluation and data sharing and (iii) sufcient resources and appropriately trained personnel in the research and regulatory communities in Europe. Recommendations for achieving these three requirements are outlined in the following discussion paper. In particular, in order to facilitate compound identifcation it is recommended that the relevant information for interpretation of mass spectra, as well as about the compounds usage and production tonnages, should be made accessible to the scientific community (via open-access databases). For many purposes, NTS should be implemented in combination with effect based methods to focus on toxic chemicals.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

A simple score to identify super-responders to sacubitril/valsartan in ambulatory patients with heart failure

Introduction: Sacubitril/valsartan (SV) promotes cardiac remodeling and improves prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). However, the response to the drug may vary between patients and its implementation in daily clinical practice has been slower than expected. Our objective was to develop a score predicting the super-response to SV in HF outpatients. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 185 consecutive patients prescribed SV from two tertiary hospitals between September 2016 and February 2018. Super-responder was defined as a patient taking the drug and (i) without HF admissions, death, or heart transplant, and (ii) with a ≥50% reduction in NT-proBNP levels and/or an increase of ≥10 points in LVEF in a 12-month follow-up period after starting SV. Clinical, echocardiographic, ECG, and biochemical variables were used in a logistic regression analysis to construct a score for super-response to SV which was internally validated using bootstrap method. Results: Out of 185 patients, 65 (35%) fulfilled the super-responder criteria. Predictors for super-response to SV were absence of both previous aldosterone antagonist and diuretic treatment, NYHA I-II class, female gender, previous 1-year HF admission, and sinus rhythm. An integrating score distinguished a low- (80%) for 1-year super-response to SV. The AUC for the model was 0.72 (95%CI: 0.64-0.80), remaining consistent after internal validation. Conclusion: One-third of our patients presented a super-response to SV. We propose an easy-to-calculate score to predict super-response to SV after 1-year initiation based on variables that are currently assessed in clinical practice