1(3)

Swedish suggested EQSs for WFDRiver Basin Specific Pollutants

In Sweden the regional water authorities are responsible for selecting River Basin Specific Pollutants and for setting EQS for the relevant substances. A report from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency with suggested EQS for some substances is meant as a support for them in that work. In this document, three tables are translated to English from that report.

The Swedish version of the report (from 2008):

Table 6. SuggestedEQSwater (Inland surface waters) and EQSother surface waters. If EQS wateris missing, separate EQSsediment or EQSbiota are published in table 7.

Substance / EQSwater (µg/l) / EQSother surface waters(µg/l)
Chromium1 / 3 / 3
Zink1,2 / 8 at hardness > 24 mg CaCO3/l / 8
3 at hardness < 24 mg CaCO3/l
Copper1 / 4 / -
Bronopol / 0,7 / 0,3
Cybutryne (Irgarol) / - / 0,003
Triclosan / 0,05 / 0,005
MCCP / 1 / 0,2
Non-dioxinlike PCBs / - / -
Dioxinlike PCBs, chlorinated dioxinsand furans / - / -
PFOS / 30 / 3
HBCD / 0,3 / 0,03
Bisphenol A / 1,5 / 0,15
Nonylphenol etoxylates3 / 0,3 NP-TEQ / 0,3 NP-TEQ
Aclonifen / 0,2 / -
Bentazon / 30 / -
Cyanazin / 1 / -
Diflufenikan / 0,005 / -
Diklorprop / 10 / -
Dimetoat / 0,7 / -
Fenpropimorf / 0,2 / -
Glyfosat / 100 / -
Kloridazon / 10 / -
MCPA / 1 / -
Mekoprop and Mekoprop p / 20 / -
Metamitron / 10 / -
Metribuzin / 0,08 / -
Metsulfuronmetyl / 0,02 / -
Pirimikarb / 0,09 / -
Sulfusulfuron / 0,05 / -
Tifensulfuronmethyl / 0,05 / -
Tribenuronmethyl / 0,1 / -

1 The EQS for metals concern the dissolved part.

2 The EQS for Zink is based on added risk: the value is the added amount beyond the background concentration.

3 The EQS for nonylphenoletoxylates is based on the sum of nonylphenolequivalents (NPTEQ).

Table 7. EQSsedimentand/orEQSbiotaare suggested as complementing EQS for the substances where EQSwater is not sufficiently low to protect sediment living organisms and/or human and/or predators from secondary poisoning.

Substance / EQSsediment (dw) / EQSbiota (ww)
MCCP / 20 mg/kg (inland water) / -
5 mg/kg (marine water)
Non-dioxinlike PCBs / 30 μg total-PCB/kg (inland water) / 0,1 mg/kg PCB-1531
20 μg total-PCB/kg (marine water)
Dioxinlike PCBs, chlorinateddioxins and furans / 0,9 ng TEQfish/kg / 8 pg TEQmammals/g2
PFOS / - / 0,006 mg/kg
HBCD / 0,9 mg/kg / 1,5 mg/kg

1 EQS in Sweden for human consumption of fish (LIVSFS 1993:36)

2 EQS in EU for human consumption of fish (EG 1881/2006)

Table 8. Indicative EQSsediment (EP-EQSsediment) are calculated from the EQSwater based on the distribution between water/sediment.

Substance / EP-EQSsediment (mg/kg dw)
Chromium1 / 0,7-7
Zink2,3 / 860
Copper / -
Bronopol / 0,0007
Cybutryne (Irgarol) / 0,0002-0,0008
Triclosan / 0,2
MCCP / -
Non-dioxinlike PCBs / -
Dioxinlike PCBs, chlorinated dioxins and furans / -
PFOS / -
HBCD / -
Bisphenol A / 0,1
Nonylphenol etoxylates4 / 0,2 NP-TEQ
Aclonifen / 0,1
Bentazon / 0,04
Cyanazin / 0,007
Diflufenikan / 0,0009
Diklorprop / 0,04
Dimetoat / 0,001
Fenpropimorf / 0,06
Glyfosat / 180
Kloridazon / 0,2
MCPA / 0,08
Mekoprop and Mekoprop p / 0,04
Metamitron / -
Metribuzin / 0,0008
Metsulfuronmetyl / 0,000006
Pirimikarb / 0,0004
Sulfusulfuron / 0,00003
Tifensulfuronmethyl / 0,00007
Tribenuronmethyl / 0,0001

1 Neutral andalkalineenvironment and acid environment respectively.

2 The EQS for Zink is based on added risk: the value is the added amount beyond the background concentration

3 PNEC is set to 49 mg/kg dw and is based on laboratory studies. Therefore, there are no risk for sediment living organisms under the given EP-EQSsediment.

4 The EQS for nonylphenol etoxylates is based on the sum of nonylphenolequivalents (NPTEQ).