Environmental monitoring international protocols

The Antarctic Treaty has proved an outstanding model of international cooperation. Article 6 of the Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection (5) calls for co-operation of the parties in the specific area of the planning and conduct of environmental activities. The scope, magnitude, and expense of the environmental tasks have to be balanced against the support available from the Antarctic operators for important and globally-relevant scientific research and in accordance with the priority accorded to their research as underscored in the Madrid Protocol (Article 3.3). International co-operation in environmental monitoring is, therefore, imperative. 

To maximise the value of Antarctic monitoring data, agreement among national operators on adoption of internationally recognised protocols for data and sample collection and analysis is required. In this respect the publication of the first volume of an environmental monitoring handbook is welcome. Measurement techniques must be internationally agreed, with any chemical analyses firmly related to interlaboratory standards and verifiable detection limits. 

Since the Madrid Protocol was signed in October 4, 1991, the international community has showed an increasing awareness of the value of environmental monitoring in the preservation of Antarctica. This is reflected in the number of studies that are being carried out by different countries. The need for environmental monitoring in Antarctica was briefly stated in the SCAR/COMNAP Report on Environmental Monitoring on Antarctica - A Discussion Document (13) ... 

The ability to provide accurate and reliable data is central to the role of analytical chemists, not only in areas like the development and manufacture of drugs, food control or drinking water analysis, but also in the field of environmental chemistry, where there is an increasing need for certified laboratories (ISO 9000 standards). The quality of analytical data is a key factor in successfully identifying and monitoring contamination of environmental compartments. In this context, a large collection of methods applied to the routine analysis of prime environmental pollutants has been developed and validated, and adapted in nationally or internationally harmonised protocols (DIN, EPA). Information on method performance generally provides data on specificity, accuracy, precision (repeatability and reproducibility), limit of detection, sensitivity, applicability and practicability, as appropriate. 

Every 3 years, the European Commission will publish a report on the inventoried emissions and their individual sources. For the first time, it will be possible for the public to compare emissions from individual facilities, industrial sectors, or countries. Governments will use the EPER to monitor progress of achievements by industry in meeting environmental targets in national or international agreements or protocols. 

A three year study monitoring acid precipitation across Central Indiana has just been completed by the authors ( ) and the local International Rotary Club who donated the manpower for sample collection. Over 3000 individual samples were collected during approximately 300 individual precipitation events. Using acceptible analytical and statistical protocol, the samples were characterized by meteorological, physical, and trace chemical composition data to determine possible sources of the acidity. The study yielded pertinent environmental data that set the parameters for this work. 

The EPER is seen by the Commission as an important means for the public and industry to access pollution information and to provide comparable data on industry emissions and environmental performance. Also, governments will be able to use the registered data to monitor their achievements in meeting environmental targets in national and international agreements and protocols. 

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