1. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers Occurrence in the aquatic environment, experience in Austria

2. Points of concern - BDE ubiquitously present in the aquatic environment  Failure of AA-EQS freshwater expected for whole Austria - Enforcement of proposed new AA-EQS technically difficult - Available analytical methods according to guidance document no. 19:  ISO 22032:2006: determination in sediment and sewage sludge LOQ: 0.05-25 µg/kg  No standardised method for BDE determination in water and biota available - Analytical methods used for PBDE monitoring in Austria demand high technical and financial effort but still far above proposed EQS

3. Actual legal situation AA-EQS freshwater (2008/105/EC):  0.0005 µg/l for Penta-BDE to be monitored in BDE-28, -47, - 99, -100, -153 and -154 Proposed revised AA-EQS freshwater  0.016 µg/kg biota  0.000000045 µg/l (back-calculated from QSbiota,HH with a BCF of 35100 and a BMF1 of 10)  For Penta-BDE and Octa-BDE

4. BDE in biota (rivers) Proposed EQS for Biota: 0.016 µg/kg Rivernminmedianmax March101,262,362,85 Donau100,380,521,97 Schwechat102,024,466,78 Pinka101,563,786,75 Reichramingbach (National Park, pristine area) 100,250,421,47 PBDE measured in whole fish (European chup, Brown trout) Sum of 6 congeners: BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -154 in µg/kg wet weight

5. BDE in biota, Lake Konstanz Proposed EQS for Biota: 0.016 µg/kg Sum of 7 congeners: BDE-28, -47, -99, - 100, -153, -154, -183 measured in whole fish or muscle Sampling site speciesmatrixSum µg/kg dw OberseeBreammuscle67,2 OberseeBreamwhole fish12,1 OberseeBreamwhole fish19,8 UnterseeTenchmuscle0,7 UnterseeBreamwhole fish1,5 Sampling site Sum µg/kg ww 10.53 20.26 30.51 40.29 50.20 60.26 7 80.22 Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)

6. BDE in biota (Europe) Proposed EQS for Biota: 0.016 µg/kg Data presented in the EQS data sheet for BDE Additional data from literature Mariussen, E., Fjeld, E., Breivik, K., Steinnes, E., Borgen, A., Kjellberg, G., Schlabach, M. (2008). Elevated levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in fish from Lake Mjosa, Norway. Science of the Total Environment 390, 132-141. Slinder-Richert, J., Barska, I., Usydus, Z., Grabic, R. (2010). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in selected fish species from the southern Baltic Sea. Chemosphere 78, 695-700.

7. BDE in waters Proposed AA-EQS for freshwater: 0.000045 ng/l (Back-calculated from QS biota,HH with a BCF of 35100 and a BMF1 of 10) 7 Matrixconc. [ng/l]Remark Rainwater Sweden 1 0.209Sum 9 congeneres (averages) including deca-BDE China 2 0.030-0.065BDE-47, rural areas U.S. 2 0.16BDE-47, rural area Sediments0.018-0.13Austria, remote alpine lakes, µg/kg dw Surface waters0.017-1.8Austria, sum of congeners BDE-28, -49, -99, -100, -153 and -154 Waste waters 3 <LOD-3.7Austria, sum of congeners BDE-28, -49, -99, -100, -153 and -154 1Arnout F.H. ter Schure and Per Larsson (2002). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in precipitation in Southern Sweden (Skane, Lund). Atmospheric Environment 36, 4015–4022. 2Bao-Zhong Zhang, Yu-Feng Guan, Shao-Meng Li and Eddy Y. Zeng (2009). Occurrence of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Air and Precipitation of the Pearl River Delta, South China: Annual Washout Ratios and Depositional Rates. Environ. Sci. Technol. 43, 9142–9147 3Clara, M., Denner, M., Gans, O., Scharf, S., Windhofer, G., Zessner, M. (2009). Emissionen organischer und anorganischer Stoffe aus kommunalen Kläranlagen. Umweltbundesamt Report REP-0247. Vienna, 2009.

8. Other substances of similar concern Mercury Polycyclic aromatic hydroarbons - PAH (Heptachlor+epoxid) (Perfluoroctansulfonate – PFOS)

9. Contact & Information Manfred Clara + 43 1 31304 5612 manfred.clara@umweltbundesamt.at Alfred Rauchbüchl + 43 1 2633474 17; +43 1 71100-0 alfred.rauchbuechl@lebensministerium.at Umweltbundesamt www.umweltbundesamt.at