COMMPS procedure

The official list of priority pollutants threatening the aquatic environment is presently based on that reported on Directive 2008/105/EC [27]. It was the output resulting from a previously done risk assessment study carried out by the Fraunhoffer Institute (COMMPS procedure) [28, 29], using monitoring data gathered throughout many European river basins. 

Revised proposal for a list of priority substances in the context of the water framework directive (COMMPS Procedure). Final report. Declaration ref. 98/788/3040/DEB/E1. Fraunhoffer-Institut Umweltchemie und Okotoxicologie. Schmallenberg, Germany, June 1999... 

The selection and prioritization of substances for which EQSs are required is generally based on both scientific and political criteria. Scientific criteria include the intensity of use of a substance and its occurrence in the environment (i.e., the likelihood of aquatic exposure) as well as information about its (eco)toxicological properties. Thus, a strong driver might be if a substance belongs to the group of persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals. Examples can be found in the COMMPS procedure (Fraunhofer IUCT 1999) as well as in the Australian, Canadian, and US approaches, all of which are summarized in Table 4.2. 

In the COMMPS procedure, specific guidance is given on how to make an assessment of study relevance and reliability prior to setting a standard based on the available data. The data quality criteria provided in COMMPS contain the following elements ... 

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