Mobile Organic Foreign Substances
Worldwide there are more than 100,000 chemicals in constant use. Up to now
extensive eco-toxicological analyses are available only for a small fraction
of them. This is in particular true for “mobile organic foreign substances”
(MOF): compounds that are highly water soluble and only poorly degradable by
physico-chemical or biological processes. Entering rivers, the prerequisites
for their long-range dispersion and impact on a multitude of aquatic
organisms is thus given. In fact there is evidence for a high biological
activity even at trace levels for a number of MOF. For aquatic ecosystems
and the natural water resources MOF thus constitute an as yet insufficiently
explored hazard.
MOF are often an important economic factor. Many of them are present in
everyday materials and products like plastics and foams, pharmaceuticals and
personal care products. Via consumption and disposal they enter the waste
waters and are meanwhile detected prevalently in rivers in environmentally
relevant concentrations. Besides an ecological and economic dimension, the
problem therefore also has a social dimension through private consumption.
INTAFERE thus investigates the particular hazardous potential of MOF form an
integrative perspective.
The area under investigation is the Hessisches Ried – a region of major
importance for the water supply of the Rhein-Main urban agglomeration.
Sustainable Water Resource Management
The issue MOF in rivers is characterised by substantial knowledge
deficits: For most substances only little is known about their impacts on
aquatic organisms. The same holds for the outdoor relevant exposition with
complex mixtures of MOF. Beyond that, neither is the sediment, which is
important for the assessment of the water state, nor the difficulty of the
formation and impact of metabolites sufficiently analysed. This partial
knowledge about fundamental mechanisms of action leads to uncertainties in
the assessment of the hazardous potential of MOF. Facing the multitude of
MOF classic assessment procedures on the basis of simple cause effect
relations and threshold values for single substances are in conflict with
the precautionary and sustainability principle.
The objective of INTAFERE is
the development of innovative assessment procedures, which are adapted to
the complex problem area. Starting points are the concept of participatorily
negotiated risk assessments and the set-up of a knowledge base on the
dispersion and environmental impact of selected MOF under outdoor
conditions. Based on this a qualitative-quantitative model is being
developed as the central analysis and communication tool of INTAFERE. It
integrates the different disciplinary and sectoral knowledge as well as the
perspectives of the stakeholders affected. The model is used to create
scenarios for the overall exposure of the rivers of the Hessisches Ried with
MOF.
The superior objective of INATFERE is the establishment of the
foundations for a sustainable water resource management.
Integration and Participation
The integrated analysis of MOF in rivers is being carried out in five
interrelated natural and social science based subprojects:
Key element of the research concept is a stakeholder participation
approach: The model development and the conception of adapted assessment
procedures are carried out within the scope of a discourse process with a
group of affected actors from water management, industry and consumer
councils.
INTAFERE will provide knowledge, instruments and methods for an adequate
assessment of the hazardous potential of MOF for nature and society on the
basis of a profound scientific analysis. It will thus become possible on
long terms, to identify management options for the improvement and
prevention of water stress by MOF and to introduce them into societal
decision making processes. The inclusion of stakeholders in the research
process opens up the possibility to achieve socially robust risk assessments
for MOF. The research issues envisaged in INTAFERE are considered as closely
entangled with the requirements for the implementation of the European Water
Framework directive.
The project runs from January 2005 until December 2007.
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