Horizontal Standards on Organic Micropollutants for Implementation of EU- Directives on Sludge, Soil and Treated Bio-waste

-The working documents on revision of the Sewage Sludge Directive (86/278/EEC) and on Biowaste and the Soil Protection Communication call for standards for sampling and analysis of sludges, treated biowastes and soils. They list hygienic and biological parameters, and inorganic and organic contaminants. The European Directives are intended to prevent unacceptable release of contaminants, impairment of soil function, or exposure to pathogens, and to protect crops, human and animal health, the quality of water and the wider environment when sludges and treated biowastes are used on land. Analytical results are to some extent defined by the methods of determination, it is therefore desirable that methods are defined before setting limit values. The European Commission wishes to cite European (CEN) standards in order that there is harmonised application of the directives and that reports from Member States (MS) can be compared. This proposal to develop standards for organic compounds in sludge, soil and biowaste, presented by the consortium under the name "HORIZONTAL-ORG", will be carried out under the umbrella of the main project HORIZONTAL "Development of horizontal standards for soil, sludge and biowaste".