(93) In order to finalise the procedure in due time, the Agency should submit its opinions on the suggested action and its impact on the basis of a draft opinion prepared by a rapporteur.(94) In order to speed up the procedure for restrictions, the Commission should prepare its draft amendment within a specific time limit of receiving the Agency's opinions.(95) The Agency should be central to ensuring that chemicals legislation and the decision-making processes and scientific basis underlying it have credibility with all stakeholders and the public. The Agency should also play a pivotal role in coordinating communication around this Regulation and in its implementation. The confidence in the Agency of the Community institutions, the Member States, the general public and interested

Biological effects are not related to the total concentration of a contaminant in the soil and soil-like materials. Organisms respond only to the fraction that is biologically available. The bioavailable fractions of contaminants are dependent on soil properties and various processes varying with time and on the behavior or the target organism. Bioavailability may be assessed in two complementary ways: (i) by chemical methods (e.g., extraction methods), which determine a defined available fraction of a well defined class of contaminants; and (ii) by biological methods, which expose organisms to soil or soil eluates to monitor effects. Although there is scientific discussion on the concept of bioavailability, the literature gives enough evidence to recognize bioavailability as a promising tool in risk assessment. A large number of methods are available. Under regulatory aspects of soil protection, a risk assessment should be based on the same common concept of determination and assessment of exposure and measuring and assessment of effects. A harmonized framework on bioavailability is necessary to promote the development and introduction of workable (international) standard methods to be used in soil and site assessment. The working group 'Bioavailability' of ISO/TC190-Soil Quality has developed a guidance document for development and selection of methods to assess bioavailability for different target species with regard to several classes of contaminants. The way to this standard, on the border of science and regulation, is described in this article.

In 2005, the European Commission funded the NORMAN project to promote a permanent network of reference laboratories and research centers, including academia, industry, standardization bodies, and NGOs. Since then, NORMAN has (i) facilitated a more rapid and wide-scope exchange of data on the occurrence and effects of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), (ii) improved data quality and comparability via validation and harmonization of common sampling and measurement methods (chemical and biological), (iii) provided more transparent information and monitoring data on CECs, and (iv) established an independent and competent forum for the technical/scientific debate on issues related to emerging substances. NORMAN plays a significant role as an independent organization at the interface between science and policy, with the advantage of speaking to the European Commission and other public institutions with the “bigger voice” of more than 70 members from 20 countries. This article provides a summary of the first 10 years of the NORMAN network. It takes stock of the work done so far and outlines NORMAN’s vision for a Europe-wide collaboration on CECs and sustainable links from research to policy-making. It contains an overview of the state of play in prioritizing and monitoring emerging substances with reference to several innovative technologies and monitoring approaches. It provides the point of view of the NORMAN network on a burning issue—the regulation of CECs—and presents the positions of various stakeholders in the field (DG ENV, EEA, ECHA, and national agencies) who participated in the NORMAN workshop in October 2016. The main messages and conclusions from the round table discussions are briefly presented.

Two different types of leachate from a waste tip have been researched. For that purpose some analytical methods were developed. The first type of leachate was sampled from a waste tip in the acidification stage. In this leachate the larger part of the organic load consists of free volatile acids (95 to 100% of the COD). Volatile amines and ethanol (1.2% respectively 1% of the COD) were also present. The leachate was extracted with hexane and the extract was analyzed with infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometrie and a gaschromatograph-mass spectrometer combination. In the extract alcohols, oil, esters, terpenes and phtalates have been identified. High molecular compounds were only present in a low concentration. The second leachate, taken from a waste tip in the methane fermentation stage contained much more high molecular compounds. About 32% of the organic carbon consists of compounds with a molecular weight over 1000. In this water no acids, amines and alcohols could be detected. This means that the organic compounds were end products of degradation processes. Furthermore there was a remarkable difference in heavy metal content between the two leachate types.

Abstract-Carbonaceous materials (CM), such as activated carbons or biochars, have been shown to significantly reduce porewater concentrations and risks by binding hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) present in aquatic sediments. In the present study, the authors review the current state-of-the-art use of CM as an extensive method for sediment remediation, covering both technical and ecological angles. The review addresses how factors such as CM type, particle size and dosage, sediment characteristics, and properties of contaminants affect the effectiveness of CM amendment to immobilize HOCs in aquatic sediments. The authors also review the extent to which CM may reduce bioaccumulation and toxicity of HOCs and whether CM itself has negative effects on benthic species and communities. The review is based on literature and datasets from laboratory as well as field trials with CM amendments. The presence of phases such as natural black carbon, oil, or organic matter in the sediment reduces the effectiveness of CM amendments. Carbonaceous material additions appear to improve the habitat quality for benthic organisms by reducing bioavailable HOC concentrations and toxicity in sediment. The negative effects of CM itself on benthic species, if any, have been shown to be mild. The beneficial effects of reducing toxicity at low CM concentrations most probably outweigh the mild negative effects observed at higher CM concentrations. Environ.