EUROPEAN COMMISSIONDIRECTORATE-GENERALENVIRONMENTDirectorate D - Water, Chemicals & BiotechnologyENV.D.1 - Water

Brussels, 4 March 2011

REQUEST TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

ON "CHEMICALS AND THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE: DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY STANDARDS"

This submission comprises "Annex 10" of the above request dated 8 November 2010. It consists of a cover note and an EQS dossier for Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).

If possible, DG Environment would like the SCHER to provide Opinions on the draft EQS by its 30 March Plenary 2011.

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111

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ANNEX 10 – COVER NOTE

This annex contains an EQS dossier for the PAHs: Benzo(a)pyrene, Benzo(b)fluoranthene, Benzo(g,h,i)perylene, Benzo(k)fluoranthene and Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene.

The SCHER is asked to focus on the two generic questions in the request, reproduced below.

1. whether the EQS have been correctly and appropriately derived, in the light of the available information and the TGD-EQS;

2. whether the most critical EQS (in terms of impact on environment/health) has been correctly identified.

PAHs

The SCHER is asked to consider the two generic questions in the request.

The introductory section of the EQS dossier explains why the food standard for Benzo(a)pyrene has been proposed as the basis for the standard for a sub-group of four of the five PAHs, and a separate standard for the non-carcinogenic Benzo(g,h,i)perylene. The SCHER may wish to comment particularly on whether measuring Benzo(a)pyrene as the marker for the three other carcinogenic PAHs in the group is appropriate.

EQS dossier

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