Description
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are currently not analysed in Romania due to the high costs of tests. The objective is to strengthen the support provided to all stakeholders in decision-making process in the field of persistent organic pollutants. The outcome is the provision of a data base with POP concentrations in river water, river sediment and animal tissue (macroinvertebrates and fish). The data will be used to estimate for the first time the level of POP pollution in the region. National authorities will establish new emissions thresholds for industry and agriculture. The study results and the computer model will allow identification of public health issues and specific epidemiology. County and Local Councils, local NGOs and the general public will be informed on risk factors concerning POP exposure through fish products. Norwegian University of Life Sciences will provide technical expertise, training for the laboratory personnel in “Lucian Blaga” University and will contribute to technical equipment calibration and scientific analysis of the results. The partnership will achieve joint research and studies publication, training and experience exchange.
Summary of project results
In Romania there were only a limited number of studies for assessment of health impact of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The water quality in Romania deteriorated rapidly in the last few decades this representing a severe threat both to the environment and to human health. At the time of launching this project, was only carried out on operational monitoring parameters regarding separate physico-chemical, microbiological and biological elements that describe the general status of the quality of water, sediments and aquatic eco-systems, without analyzing the a GIS map of pollution by persistent organic compounds of POPs in water, sediment and ecosystem products found in human consumption. The overall objective of the project was to support the decision-making process in the field of chemicals and hazardous waste by the development of a decision support tool in the management of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The results of the project strengthen the capacity of the public authorities and institutions responsible for implementing a EU strategies and legislation on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), hazardous chemicals and waste through: - development of a laboratory for analyzing the POP concentration in the environment and in animal tissues. This laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art, highly performant equipment and has been organized according to international standards so that it can be accredited; - development of highly qualified human resources for POP analysis - five ULBS specialists trained at NMBU and eleven specialists from Romanian specialized laboratories received a training session on the methods of POP analysis organized at ULBS; - development of methodological guidelines and working protocols for the assessment and monitoring of POPs in continental aquatic ecosystems including sampling methods, identification and quantification of POPs in sediment, water and tissues of aquatic organisms; - Creation of a database on POPs pollution in the Mureş River catchment area, which contains data on the concentration of various classes of POPs in water, sediment and aquatic organisms (macro-invertebrates and fish). Data in the database is represented in GIS maps. - modeling the dispersion, accumulation and bio-amplification processes of POP in aquatic ecosystems in hydrographic basin of river Mureş.
Summary of bilateral results
The project was implemented in partnership with the University of Life Sciences of Oslo, Norway (NMBU). The Norwegian partner (NMBU) contributed technical information to the ULBS laboratory development. A set of fish tissue samples was analyzed in the NMBU toxicology laboratory, the results were used for POPs evaluation in the Mureş basin, but also for the intercalibration of the two laboratories (from ULBS and NMBU). Norwegian experts have contributed to the elaboration of the Methodological Guide on the Assessment and Monitoring of POPs in Lotic-Ecosystems and the Study-Impact of persistent organic pollutants on continental aquatic ecosystems and human health. At the same time, they actively participated in optimizing the results from the database when introducing the final results of the analyzes carried out in the NMBU ecotoxicology laboratory. On January 27, 2017, NMBU experts Vidar Berg and Jan Ludvig Lyche attended with presentations at the SIDPOP Closing Conference. In the framework of the activities and meetings of the project experts, drafts of the scientific articles based on the results of the analysis were made, articles that will be proposed for publication to journals indexed in the international databases. Good institutional cooperation between the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences within this financial mechanism (EEA grants) has created excellent premises for exploring new possibilities of collaboration as well as for deepening and diversifying cooperation and contacts long time for the two institutions to work together for the continuity and sustainability of the project by using research results and infrastructure. NMBU together with Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu are working to identify new perspectives in the collaboration between the two entities so that academic research can be actively oriented transposed to one or more priority sectors to contribute in the long term to reducing economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and to strengthening bilateral relations between Norway and Romania.