EU Water Framework-Directive Priority Contaminants in Norwegian Freshwater Fish

The concentration of different contaminants in liver tissue may differ from muscle tissue because they have various chemical properties. EU has established European Quality Standards (EQS) for prioritized environmental contaminants and the EQSs are given in wet weight values. The EQSs are established to prevent the negative effects in the aquatic ecosystem (ensuring protection for the most sensitive species). An EQS has been defined as “the concentration of a particular pollutant or group of pollutants in water, sediment or biota that should not be exceeded in order to protect human health and the environment”.

The levels of PBDEs, mercury and octylphenol in fish liver exceed EU Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) in all 14 lakes included in this monitoring program and PCBs exceeded EQS in 11 of the 14 lakes. The EQS for PFOS was exceeded in two lakes (Lake Bergesvatnet and Lake Lyseren). PFOS has specific affinity to liver tissue, and it is most likely that the concentration in muscle are substantially lower than in liver. Furthermore, the EQSs are set lower than the European limit values (Minimum Residual Limit Levels (MRLs)) for foodstuffs and animal feed, to protect the entire ecosystem (ensuring protection for the most sensitive species), suggesting that the concentrations in fish muscle do not exceed the MRL for human consumption. The results from the present survey, suggest that background levels of PBDEs, PCBs mercury and octylphenol in Norwegian lakes do not meet the environmental requirements in Europe. However, these results are comparable with results from different European countries, which may indicate an environmental problem for these contaminants across Europe.