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Key messages: Releases to water bodies from industrial facilities include chemicals that are hazardous to human and ecosystem health. Releases to water of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates have decreased by 9% and 89%, respectively, since 2010. During the same period, releases of the heavy metals nickel, cadmium, mercury, lead, and their compounds decreased by 39, 56, 59 and 64%, respectively. For many of these pollutants the data suggests that the trend in reductions is levelling off.
Industrial releases into water, EU Member States*, 2010-2021
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The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) collects data on releases to air and water from industrial facilities. This includes the organic industrial pollutants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs); and the heavy metals cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni)) and their compounds, for which quality and consistency in reporting allow for a trend assessment.
Between 2010 and 2022, releases to water of PAHs and NP/NPEs decreased by 9% and 89%, respectively. However, trends for NP/NPEs should be treated with caution due to the inconsistent reporting frequency of facilities over time.
During the same period, releases of the heavy metals Ni, Cd, Hg, Pb, and their compounds decreased by 39, 56, 59 and 64%, respectively, however the downward trends in releases of these metals have levelled off in recent years. NP and NPEs are considered to be endocrine disrupters (and are included on the European Chemicals Agency’s Candidate list of substances of very high concern), while Cd is a carcinogen, and Hg and Pb are toxic to reproduction.
The decline in releases to water partly reflects the positive influence of European policy and legislation, such as the Water Framework Directive and the Industrial Emissions Directive. In addition, the decreasing trend could partly be explained by a shift across the continent towards less-polluting industrial activities.
With the ongoing revision of the E-PRTR Regulation additional pollutants currently not covered by the regulation could be reported by industry in the near future. This would help monitor releases of additional substances of concern, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Please consult the relevant indicators and signals below for a more comprehensive overview on the topic.
Data on releases to water of PAHs, NP and NPEs cover 18 Member States, while data for heavy metals cover 27.
The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) collects emission data as set out in Regulation (EC) 166/2006 and Commission Implementing Decision 2019/1741. The E-PRTR collects data on 91 pollutant releases to air and water including dioxins from industrial facilities, for example. However, a lack of consistency in reporting across countries and over time limits the use of most of the pollutant data.
The reporting is subject to certain criteria and especially on the amount released of different substances that are covered by the regulation. For NP/NPEs and Hg, emissions to water should be reported only if they exceed the threshold of 1 kg/year. The threshold is 5 kg/year for PAHs and Cd, and 20kg/year for Pb and Ni.
Industrial sectors contributing to the selected releases include waste and wastewater management, metals, energy, chemicals, paper and wood, minerals, and food and beverage production. Chemical releases are therefore not necessarily linked to chemical use in the facilities and include pollutant releases as part of production processes.
More information is available on the Industrial Emissions Portal and at the EEA indicators webpages for releases of industrial pollutants to air and releases of water.
Relevant objectives under the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability
- Restore human health and environment to a good quality status
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Other relevant indicators and signals
References and footnotes
- ↵ECHA, 2021, ‘Causal impacts of the REACH Authorisation process on the use of substances of very high concern in the EU’ (https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/17231/causal_analysis_reach_authorisation_en.pdf/).
- ↵EU, 2000, Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy (OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, pp. 1-73).
- ↵EU, 2010, Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) (recast) (Text with EEA relevance) (OJ L 334, 17.12.2010, pp. 17-119).
- a bEU, 2006, Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 January 2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and amending Council Directives 91/689/EEC and 96/61/EC (Text with EEA relevance) (OJ L 33, 4.2.2006, pp. 1-17).
- ↵EU, 2019, Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1741 of 23 September 2019 establishing the format and frequency of data to be made available by the Member States for the purposes of reporting under Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and amending Council Directives 91/689/EEC and 96/61/EC (notified under document C(2019) 6745) (Text with EEA relevance) (OJ L 267, 21.10.2019, pp. 3-8).