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Geochemistry Expert Group Annual Report 2010 JANUARY 2011
Geochemistry
Expert Group Annual Report 2010
JANUARY 2011
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1. INTRODUCTION The Geochemistry Expert Group has at present 53 official members. In addition, there are 43
associate members from geological survey and non-survey organizations that participate in the
GEMAS project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2013, and 45 in the EGG project that was
completed in August 2010 with the publication of the atlas “Geochemistry of European Bottled
Water” (Reimann and Birke, 2010), and the special issue of the Journal of Geochemical Exploration
“Mineral Waters of Europe” (Birke et al., 2010).
2. MISSION
The mission of the EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert Group is to provide high quality
geochemical data of near-surface materials, to develop harmonised databases for multi-purpose use,
and to provide independent expert advice to the European Commission.
To achieve this mission, systematic geochemical data for the whole of Europe are generated by
harmonised methods of sampling of near-surface materials (soil, stream or floodplain sediment,
water), sample preparation, chemical analysis, quality control, data processing and presentation.
The systematic geochemical information is published in the form of geochemical atlases, which are
freely available, and can be used for (a) state of the environment reports, (b) mineral exploration,
(c) agriculture, (d) forestry, (e) animal husbandry, (f) geomedicine or medical geology, (g)
determination of natural background values for environmental risk assessment, etc.
Why are Geochemical Atlases important? The answer is given by Darnley et al. (1995, p.X;
http://www.globalgeochemicalbaselines.eu/files/Blue_Book_GGD_IGCP259.pdf): ‘Everything in
and on the earth - mineral, animal and vegetable - is made from one, or generally some
combination of, the 86 naturally occurring chemical elements. Everything that is grown, or made,
depends upon the availability of the appropriate elements. The existence, quality, and survival of
life depend upon the availability of elements in the correct proportions and combinations. Because
natural processes and human activities are continuously modifying the chemical composition of our
environment, it is important to determine the present abundance and spatial distribution of the
elements across the Earth’s surface in a much more systematic manner than has been attempted
hitherto’. Systematic geochemical mapping is considered, therefore, as the best available method to
document changes in the levels of chemical elements in materials occurring at or below the Earth’s
surface.
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2.1 Vision
The EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert Group’s aim is to be regarded as the body that provides
high quality harmonised geochemical data of near-surface materials to support European policy and
decision makers, but also to provide sound background data to scientists for their research, and to
the public, in general, for education and other purposes. 3. THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION Table 3.1 summarises European Commission (EC) Directives that require European wide
harmonised geochemical data. In the sections of the different on-going projects during 2010, the
relevant EC Directives are given. It is noted that all projects are INSPIRE compliant (EC, 2007).
Table 3.1 Summary of some European Commission (EC) Directives driving the demand for
harmonised geochemical baseline data across political borders (modified from Johnson and
Demetriades, 2011, Table 2.3, p.22)
Directive Summary Application of baseline geochemical data
EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC)
This requires Member States to meet a good ecological status for water quality objectives (except where deviations from the standard are justified); and to identify basic and supplementary measures to deal with point source and diffuse pollution. The directive will be managed on the basis of River Basin Districts (one or more drainage catchments).
Baseline geochemical data for low order streams produced by the European Geochemical Atlas project can provide information about surface water quality for farmers and those who manage land. In addition, the data produced by the project on Ground water Geochemistry using bottled water as ‘proxy’ can be used to assess the the quality of ground water, but also bottled water with respect to inorganic constituents. Regulatory bodies and administrators can use these data to determine guideline levels for elemental concentrations.
EC Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (IPPC) (2008/1/EC), it replaces Directive 96/61/EC
It has been formulated to implement the EC Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (96/61/EC). Its objective is to control pollution from industry.
Baseline geochemical data can be used both by industry and regulators to assess the impact of polluting industries on the environment. The geochemical baseline data provide a reference point against which changes can be measured.
EC Sewage Sludge Directive (86/278/EEC)
This directive seeks to encourage the use of sewage sludge in agriculture, but regulates its use in order to protect the environment from its harmful effects.
Baseline geochemical data can be used to monitor and model the impact on the environment of sewage sludge.
Proposed EC Soil Directive
Directive under consideration. The European Union included in the 6th Environmental Action Programme the Thematic Strategy on Soil Protection that will lead in the future to an EU soil protection Directive.
Geological Surveys are the only organisations systematically sampling soil from urban areas, and can establish the urban geochemical baselines in order to assess the impact of human induced pollution. Geological Surveys are, in fact, the only organisations in Europe that have the necessary experience for carrying out continental scale geochemical mapping and monitoring projects.
EC Mine Waste Directive (2006/21/EC)
This proposed directive is seen as a supplementary measure to the WFD to minimise the adverse
Baseline geochemical data can be used to monitor and model the impact on the environment of mine waste.
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Directive Summary Application of baseline geochemical data
effects on the environment, caused by waste from the extractive industries.
EC Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC)
This directive is concerned with the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.
Climatic or anthropogenic changes to the geochemistry of the surface environment that may impact on fauna and flora can be monitored using baseline geochemical data of the surface environment.
EC Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC)
The Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations of 2002, implement the EC Landfill Directive which aims to prevent or reduce the negative environmental effects of landfill.
Baseline geochemical data can be used to monitor and model the impact on the environment of landfill.
INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC)
Establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Union for making available relevant, harmonised and quality geographic information to support formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and activities which have a direct or indirect impact on the environment.
Harmonised geochemical baseline data for the whole of Europe are needed in order to assess impacts on the environment.
REACH Directive (EC 1907/2006) [Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of CHemical substances] - The new law entered into force on 1 June 2007
The aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances. There is a need to fill information gaps to ensure that industry is able to assess hazards and risks of the substances, and to identify and implement the risk management measures to protect humans and the environment.
Baseline geochemical data are needed to establish the variable geochemical baseline across Europe, and the local maximum threshold values, against which any changes future changes can be monitored.
3.1 Agricultural and Grazing land soil geochemistry
The Agricultural and Grazing land soil geochemistry project (GEMAS) fulfils requirements of the
following EU Directives, regulations, and communications:
(1) Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18
December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of
Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive
1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission
Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission
Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC (EC, 2006a, 2007);
(2) Directive 2004/35/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on
environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental
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damage (EC, 2004);
(3) European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of
Substances and Mixtures (CLP Regulation), adopting in the EU the Globally Harmonised
System (GHS) (EC, 2008a), and
(4) Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the
European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions: Thematic
Strategy for Soil Protection (EC, 2006b).
The administration of REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals), the new
European Chemicals Regulation adopted in December 2006 (EC, 2006a, 2009), and the pending EU
Soil Protection Directive (Van Camp et al., 2004; EC, 2006b), and the pending EU Soil Protection
Directive, require additional knowledge about “soil quality” at the European scale. REACH
specifies that industry must prove that it can produce and use its substances safely. Risks, due to
the exposure to a substance during production and use at the local, regional, and European scale, all
need to be assessed. In contrast to human-made organic substances that do not occur naturally in
the environment, all industries dealing with natural resources will face in the near future a number
of specific questions:
• Most of their “products” occur also naturally – the natural background variation needs
• to be established, in addition to a methodology to differentiate the industrial impact
• from the natural geogenic background.
• What is the “bioavailability” of metals and other chemical elements in soil?
• What is the long-term fate of metals and other chemical elements added to soil?
Besides fulfilling the conditions of EC policy documents, it satisfies other EU international
commitments, such as (i) the United Nations Strategic Approach to International Chemicals
Management (SAICM) (UNEP, 2006), and (ii) the OECD Work on Investigation of High
Production Volume Chemicals (OECD, 2009).
3.2 Ground water geochemistry
The ground water geochemistry project, using bottled water as “proxy”, fulfils conditions of the EC
Directive 2000/60/EC (EC, 2000), and its results should assist the European Commission in its
legislative work on bottled waters with respect to inorganic constituents, e.g.,
• Directive 65/65/EEC of 26 January 1965 on the approximation of provisions laid down by
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law, regulation or administrative action relating to medicinal products (EC, 1965);
• Directive 80/777/EEC of 15 July 1980 on the approximation of the laws of the Member
States relating to the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters (EC, 1980a);
• Directive 80/778/EEC. Council Directive of 15 July 1980 relating to the quality of water
intended for human consumption (EC, 1980b);
• Directive 96/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 October 1996
amending Council Directive 80/777/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member
States relating to the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters (EC, 1996);
• Directive 98/83/EC of 3rd November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human
consumption (EC, 1998);
• Directive 2003/40/EC/16-5-2003/ establishing the list, concentration limits and labelling
requirements for the constituents of natural mineral waters and the conditions for using
ozone-enriched air for the treatment of natural mineral waters and spring waters (EC, 2003).
• Directive 2008/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2008
amending Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field
of water policy, as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission (EC,
2008b).
Further, the information produced can also be used in the national legislative procedure of European Union member countries.
3.3 Urban geochemistry
• Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the
European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions: Thematic
Strategy for Soil Protection (EC, 2006b).
• EC Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (IPPC) (2008/1/EC) (EC, 2008c).
4. CONTINUED WORK WITH THE FOREGS SAMPLES/DATA
Perchlorate analysis has been received for a number of the old FOREGS Topsoil samples from the
USGS. Analysis was much more difficult than foreseen and the USGS is not able to deliver results
for the whole sample set. There are, however, enough results available to plot a map.
Alecos Demetriades (Hellas) is still working on an electronic popular version of the Atlas. In
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addition, a number of publications based on the Chinese data are in the process of being written,
and these are outlined below together with the leading person:
• Alecos Demetriades, Hellas: regional distribution of Au;
• Benedetto de Vivo (Italy): effects of low density sampling;
• Maria Joao Batista (Portugal): regional distribution of Sn, and
• Reijo Salminen (Finland): regional distribution of F, Cl and B.
All remaining FOREGS samples are now stored at BGS.
There were a number of international publications during 2010, using single FOREGS maps and/or
data as examples:
Demetriades, A., Reimann, C., Birke, M., Salminen, R., De Vos, W., Tarvainen, T. & the
EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert Group, 2010. Geochemical atlases of Europe
produced by the EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert Group: State of progress and
potential uses. In: G. Koukis, A. Zelilidis, I. Koukouvelas, G. Papatheodorou, M. Geraga
and V. Zygouri (Editors), Proceedings of the 12th International Congress of the Geological
Society of Greece: Planet Earth – Geological processes and sustainable development.
Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece, XLIII(5), 2350-2360.
Filzmoser, P., Hron, K & Reimann, C., 2010. The bivariate statistical analysis of
environmental (compositional) data. Science of the Total Environment, 408(19), 4230-4238.
Reimann,C., Matschullat, J., Birke, M. & Salminen, R., 2010. Antimony in the environment
– lessons from geochemical mapping. Applied Geochemistry, 25(2), 175-198.
Selinus, O., Cave, M.R., Kousa, A., Steinnes, E., Varet, J. & Ferrira da Silva, E., 2010.
Medical geology in Europe. In: O. Selinus, R.B. Finkelman & J.A. Centeno (Editors),
Medical Geology – A Regional Synthesis. Springer, 259-301.
5. EUROPEAN GROUND WATER PROJECT (EGG) The project was completed according to schedule. A geochemical atlas presenting the results was
published in August 2010:
Reimann, C. and Birke, M. (Editors), 2010. Geochemistry of European Bottled Water.
Borntraeger Science Publishers, Stuttgart, 268 pp. (see Figure 5.1).
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Figure 5.1 Front cover of the atlas of the “Geochemistry of European Bottled Water”
(http://www.schweizerbart.de/publications/detail/artno/001201002#).
In addition, the following papers were published in a Special Issue of the Journal of Geochemical
Exploration, Volume 107, Issue 3, Pages 217-422 (December 2010) with the title “Mineral Waters
of Europe”, Guest Editors Manfred Birke, Alecos Demetriades and Benedetto De Vivo (see Figure
5.2):
Reimann, C., 2010. Foreword by the Chairman of the EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry
Expert Group. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral Waters
of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), v-vi.
Birke, M., Demetriades, A. & De Vivo, B., 2010. Introduction. In: M. Birke, A.
Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal
of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), vii-viii.
Birke, M., Reimann, C., Demetriades, A., Rauch, U., Lorenz, H., Harazim, B. & Glatte, W.,
2010. Determination of major and trace elements in European bottled mineral water —
Analytical methods. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral
Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 217-226.
Peh, Z., Ajka Šorša, A. & Halamić, J., 2010. Composition and variation of major and trace
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elements in Croatian bottled waters. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest
Editors), Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration,
107(3), 227-237.
Bityukova, L. & Petersell, V., 2010. Chemical composition of bottled mineral waters in
Estonia. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of
Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 238-244.
Birke, M., Rauch, U., Harazim, B., Lorenz, H. & Glatte, W., 2010. Major and trace
elements in German bottled water, their regional distribution, and accordance with national
and international standards. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors),
Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 245-
271.
Birke, M., Rauch, U., Lorenz, H. & Kringel, R., 2010. Distribution of uranium in German
bottled and tap water. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral
Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 272-282.
Demetriades, A., 2010. General ground water geochemistry of Hellas using bottled water
samples. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of
Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 283-298.
Dotsika, E., Poutoukis, D., Raco, B. & Psomiadis, D., 2010. Stable isotope composition of
Hellenic bottled waters. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral
Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 299-304.
Fugedi, U., Kuti, L., Jordan, G. & Kerek, B., 2010. Investigation of the hydrogeochemistry
of some bottled mineral waters in Hungary. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo
(Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical
Exploration, 107(3), 305-316.
Dinelli, E., Lima, A., De Vivo, B., Albanese, S., Cicchella, D. & Valera, P., 2010.
Hydrogeochemical analysis on Italian bottled mineral waters: Effects of geology. In: M.
Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of Europe. Special
Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 317-335.
Cicchella, D., Albanese, S., De Vivo, B., Dinelli, E., Giaccio, L., Lima, A. & Valera, P.,
2010. Trace elements and ions in Italian bottled mineral waters: Identification of anomalous
values and human health related effects. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest
Editors), Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration,
107(3), 336-349.
Frengstad, B.S., Lax, K., Tarvainen, T., Jæger Ø. and Wigum, B.J., 2010. The chemistry of
bottled mineral and spring waters from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. In: M.
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Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of Europe. Special
Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 350-361.
Lourenço, C., Luís Ribeiro, L. & José Cruz, J., 2010. Classification of natural mineral and
spring bottled waters of Portugal using Principal Component Analysis. In: M. Birke, A.
Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal
of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 362-372.
Petrović, T., Zlokolica-Mandić, M., Veljković, N. & Vidojević, D., 2010. Hydrogeological
conditions for the forming and quality of mineral waters in Serbia. In: M. Birke, A.
Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal
of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 373-381.
Bodiš, D., Božíková, J., Liščák, P., Malík, P., Panák, D., Slaninka, I., Kordík, J. & Marcin,
D., 2010. Mineral waters in Slovakia — Evaluation of chemical composition stability using
both historical records and the most recent data. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo
(Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical
Exploration, 107(3), 382-390.
Brenčič, M. & Vreča, P., 2010. The use of a finite mixture distribution model in bottled
water characterisation and authentication with stable hydrogen, oxygen and carbon isotopes
— Case study from Slovenia. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors),
Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 391-
399.
Brenčič, M., Ferjan, T. & Gosar, M., 2010. Geochemical survey of Slovenian bottled
waters. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades, B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of
Europe. Special Issue, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 400-409.
Demetriades, A., 2010. Use of measurement uncertainty in a probabilistic scheme to assess
compliance of bottled water with drinking water standards. In: M. Birke, A. Demetriades,
B. De Vivo (Guest Editors), Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue, Journal of
Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 410-422.
A paper on the leaching of chemical elements from the bottle materials to the water was also
published, as well as a reply to the comments made:
Reimann, C., Birke, M. & Filzmoser, P., 2010. Bottled drinking water: Water
contamination from bottle materials (glass, hard PET, soft PET), the influence of colour and
acidification. Applied Geochemistry, 25(7), 1030-1046.
Reimann, C., Birke, M. & Filzmoser, P., 2010. Reply to the comment “Bottled drinking
water: Water contamination from bottle materials (glass, hard PET, soft PET), the influence
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of colour and acidification” by Hayo Müller-Simon. Applied Geochemistry, 25(9), 1464–
1465.
(a) (b)
Figure 5.2 Covers of the Special issue of the Journal of Geochemical Exploration on “Mineral
Waters of Europe”: (a) soft bound cover edition, and (b) hard bound cover edition.
The Italian group published two further papers on the Italian bottled water results in Le Scienze:
De Vivo, B., Birke, M., Cicchella, D., Giaccio, L., Dinelli, E., Lima, A., Albanese, S. and
Valera, P., 2010. Acqua di casa nostra. Le Scienze, 508, 76-85.
Lima, A., Cicchella, D., Giaccio, L., Dinelli, E., Albanese, S., Valera, P. and De Vivo B.,
2010. Che acqua beviamo. Le Scienze, 501, 68-77.
A first external review on the atlas of the “Geochemistry of European Bottled Water” has appeared
in the November issue of “Environmental Earth Sciences” by Prof. J. Matschullat, TU Freiberg,
Germany:
Matschullat, J., 2011. Reviews on books internet and scientific media: Reimann, C. and
Birke, M. (Editors): Geochemistry of European bottled water. Environmental Earth
Sciences, 62(2), 443-446 (see Attachment 1).
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6. GEOCHEMISTRY OF AGRICULGURAL AND GRAZING LAND SOIL (GEMAS) The GEMAS project is running according to plan. The majority of analytical results have been
received, and passed quality control. The results for Pb-isotopes (NGU) are expected to be ready in
February/March 2011.
(a) (b)
Figure 6.1 Aqua regia extractable Uranium (U) distribution in (a) Agricultural soil (0-20 cm, <2
mm, n=2132), and (b) Grazing land soil (0-10 cm, <2 mm, n=2042).
Eurometaux organised a very successful metals workshop, based on the GEMAS data, at ECHA
(European Chemical Agency) in Helsinki at the beginning of July 2010. Further GEMAS
presentations were undertaken at a number of national and international conferences:
(1) ICA (Symposium of the International Copper Association, Phoenix, Arizona, USA) –
invited presentation, 23.7.2010:
Reimann, C., 2010. The geochemical mapping of agricultural soils project - do you
know your background?
(2) SEGH (Society of Environmental Geochemistry and Health, Galway):
Reimann, C., Demetriades, A., Birke, M. and the EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry
Expert Group, 2010. Geochemical mapping of agricultural and grazing land soils at
the European Scale. SEGH 2010 International Conference and Workshops:
Environmental Quality and Human Health, Galway, Ireland, 27 June – 2 July, 2010.
SEGH 2010 Book of Abstracts, 65. Available online at:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/segh2010/download/SEGH2010%20Book_of_Abstracts.pdf.
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(3) IUSS 19th World Congress of Soil Science, Brisbane, Australia:
Ernstsen, V., Cicchella, D., Demetriades, A., De Vivo, B., Dinelli, E., von Platen, F.,
Reimann, C., Tarvainen, T. & the EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert Group, 2010.
Organic carbon in topsoil from arable land and grazing land of Europe. 19th World
Congress of Soil Science, Soil Solutions for a Changing World, 1-6 August 2010,
Brisbane, Australia. Published on DVD, 139-141.
(4) Conferences in Croatia:
Husnjak, S., Halamić, J., Šorša, A. & Rubinić, V., 2010. Pedological, geological and
geochemical characteristics of GEMAS project samples in Croatia. Croatian
Geological Congress, Šibenik, Book of abstracts, 342-343.
Šorša, A., Halamić, J. & Husnjak, S., 2010. Geochemical Mapping of Agricultural
Soils and Grazing Lands in Croatia – a part of EuroGeoSurveys project. Croatian
Pedological Congress, Plitvice, Book of abstracts, 154-155.
(5) 20th SETAC Europe Annual Meeting, Seville, Spain:
Reimann, C., Birke, M., Demetriades, A. & the EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert
Group, 2010. GEMAS: Geochemical mapping of agricultural and grazing land soil at
the European scale. Poster presentation, 20th SETAC Europe Annual Meeting, 23-27
May 2010, Science and Technology for Environmental Protection, Seville, Spain.
Available online at: http://www.eventure-
online.com/eventure/publicSearch.do?action=save&congressId=3358.
(6) 12th International Congress of the Geological Society of Greece: Planet Earth – Geological
processes and sustainable development, Patras University, Hellas:
Demetriades, A., Reimann, C., Birke, M., Salminen, R., De Vos, W., Tarvainen, T.
and the EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert Group, 2010. Geochemical atlases of
Europe produced by the EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert Group: State of
progress and potential uses. In: G. Koukis, A. Zelilidis, I. Koukouvelas, G.
Papatheodorou, M. Geraga and V. Zygouri (Editors), Proceedings of the 12th
International Congress of the Geological Society of Greece: Planet Earth –
Geological processes and sustainable development. Bulletin of the Geological
Society of Greece, XLIII(5), 2350-2360.
Several members of the group are leading work on a number of publications, based on GEMAS
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results (the selection of elements and topics is such that we are not in conflict with the
confidentiality agreement with industry):
Effects of weathering: Andreas Scheib
U, Cd: Manfred Birke and Timo Tarvainen
As: Timo Tarvainen
Cr: Benedetto De Vivo and Marco Falconi
XRF vs. aqua regia: Enrico Dinelli and Benedetto de Vivo
U-K-Th: Benedetto De Vivo, Pat O’Connor, Ignace Salpeteur, Walter De Vos
Hg: Rolf Tore Ottesen, Mateja Gosa, Manfred Birke, Juan Locutura, Clemens
Reimann
Tl: Alecos Demetriades, Manfred Birke
Nb: Andreas Scheib
Pb and Pb-isotopes: Clemens Reimann and Anna Ladenberger
Ge: Ignace Salpeteur
Zr – solubility: Dee Flight and Clemens Reimann
In and W: Anna Ladenberger
P: Jason Griffioen (if Alterra agrees).
In addition, it was agreed that all GEMAS country interpretations would be ready in time for the
annual meeting in 2011.
7. URBAN GEOCHEMISTRY
7.1 Part 1 – The Book
Chris Johnson, Alecos Demetriades, Juan Locutura and Rolf Tore Ottesen have edited a book on
“Urban Geochemistry”, which will be published by Wiley-Blackwell in March 2011. The full
reference is: Johnson, C.C., Demetriades, A., Locutura, J. & Ottesen, R.T. (Editors), 2011.
Mapping the Chemical Environment of Urban Areas. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK, 666 pp.
(http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470747242,descCd-description.html). A
full report will be given in next year’s annual report, but an outline of the book structure is given
below.
The book presents a comprehensive overview of the methods currently being employed to map and
interpret the distribution of chemical elements and organic compounds in our towns and cities.
Clearly structured throughout, the book is divided into two distinct sections. The first part,
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consisting of twelve chapters, covers more general aspects of urban chemical mapping with an
overview of current practice, and reviews of different features of the component methodologies
(chemical analysis, quality control, data interpretation and presentation, risk assessment, etc.). The
second part, consisting of twenty chapters, includes a number of case studies from different urban
areas, principally from Europe, but with some contributions from North America, Africa and Asia,
authored by those national or academic institutions tasked with investigating the chemical
environment of their major urban centres. An informative list of abbreviations and acronyms, used
in the text, is included and many of the chapters define terms frequently employed in geochemical
mapping that will help researchers give more clarity to the way in which such work will be
described in the future.
Chapters include strategies that can be employed to map urban environments, along with sampling
procedures, which are used for a variety of sample media. Analytical methodologies for
determining chemical elements and compounds are covered and their relative merits and
disadvantages presented. Methods for defining element associations and what areas can be
considered contaminated are documented, as are techniques for distinguishing between the natural
chemical baseline and chemicals and compounds introduced by human activity. Many of the
chapters discuss the potential impact on human health and describe the multi-disciplinary effort,
usually supported by legislation, required to deal with the legacy of contamination found in many
urban areas.
7.2 Part 2 – The Urban Geochemistry project (URGE)
The URGE project’s objective is to compare the urban geochemistry of several European cities
using the same sampling protocol and analytical procedures. It has already started and is led by
Rolf Tore Ottesen of NGU. Interest from within the surveys represented in the Geochemistry
Group is very large, originally, more than 25 members of the group volunteered to sample a city for
the project. The main problem for the project was financing the analyses. It was agreed to use a
commercial laboratory for the analytical work and that each participating city/survey must cover the
analytical costs. Up to date Acerra-Marigliano (Napoli), Aschersleben, Dublin, Kristiansand,
Hämeenlinna, and Sisak are sampled; Karlstad, Maribor, and Athens will follow in 2011.
Throughout 2011, it is still possible to add on further cities.
16
8. OTHER
8.1 2010 Annual meeting
The annual meeting of the Geochemistry Expert Group (GEG) was held from the 6th-8th October
2010 at Divani Palace Acropolis Hotel in Athens (Hellas), and it was hosted by the Institute of
Geology and Mineral Exploration. Twenty-eight people attended the meeting. The group received
a very warm welcome to Athens from Associate Professor Kostas T. Papavasileiou, the I.G.M.E.
General Director, who congratulated the group on its excellent activities and noted that the group is
distinguished by its publications. He offered the group further praise for the relevance of both
urban geochemistry activities and the GEMAS project. The first two days were devoted to group
activities, including the URGE project. The third day was totally devoted to national presentations
of GEMAS results.
8.2 Participation in International projects
Members of the working group are collaborating in a number of EU-funded research projects:
Maria Joao Batista (Portugal) and Alecos Demetriades (Hellas) are participating in the
ProMine project (Nano-particle products from new mineral resources in Europe -
http://promine.gtk.fi/), which is financed from 7th Framework programme (2009-2013).
Alecos Demetriades (Hellas) is participating in the GS Soil project (Assessment and
strategic development of INSPIRE compliant Geodata-Services for European Soil Data -
http://www.gssoil.eu/), which is a financed by the eContentplus programme (2009-2012).
8.3 GEMAS project calendar
Peter Hayoz (Switzerland) has produced a very nice “GEMAS Project Calendar” for 2011, based on
field photos from the project. The calendar is available for download from the internet for all
project partners and we plan to have it available on the EGS server as well. Eurometaux was very
impressed by the product and considers to sponsor printing of a number of calendars.
8.4 Geochemistry Expert Group website and Google Earth GEMAS photo database
Paolo Valera (Italy) is working on a Geochemistry Expert Group web-site, with sub-sites for all the
projects and products. Edith Haslinger (Austria) works on a “GEMAS Google Earth photograph
database”, where it will be possible to click on the sample sites and be able to download the field
17
photographs (Picture 8.1). Both the website and GEMAS photo database will be hosted on the
EuroGeoSurveys server.
(a) (b)
Picture 8.1 (a) Agricultural soil, Norway, and (b) Grazing land soil (Cyprus).
8.4 2011 Annual meeting
The next meeting of the geochemistry group is scheduled for early October 2011 in Helsinki. It is
considered to invite ECHA to participate for a one day meeting with presentations from the
GEMAS project.
REFERENCES Birke, M., Demetriades, A. & De Vivo, B. (Guest Editors), 2010. Mineral Waters of Europe. Special Issue,
Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 107(3), 217-422. Darnley, A.G., Björklund, A., Bølviken, B., Gustavsson, N., Koval, P.V., Plant, J.A., Steenfelt, A., Tauchid,
M., Xuejing, X., Garrett, R.G. & Hall, G.E.M., 1995. A global geochemical database for environmental and resource management. Final report of IGCP Project 259. Earth Sciences, 19, UNESCO Publishing, Paris, 122 pp. Available online at: http://www.globalgeochemicalbaselines.eu/files/Blue_Book_GGD_IGCP259.pdf - Last accessed on 29th January 2011.
EC, 1965. Directive 65/65/EEC of 26 January 1965 on the approximation of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action relating to medicinal products. Official Journal of the European Communities, 9.2.1965, L22, 369–373.
EC, 1980a. Directive 80/777/EEC of 15 July 1980 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters. Official Journal of the European Communities, 30.8.1980, L229, 1-10.
EC, 1980b. Directive 80/778/EEC. Council Directive of 15 July 1980 relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption. Official Journal of the European Communities, 15.7.1980, L229, 11–29.
EC, 1996. Directive 96/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 October 1996 amending Council Directive 80/777/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters. Official Journal of the European Communities, 23.11.1996, L299, 26–28.
18
EC, 1998. Directive 98/83/EC of 3rd November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption. Official Journal of the European Communities, 5.12.1998, L330, 32–54.
EC, 2003. Directive 2003/40/EC/16-5-2003/ establishing the list, concentration limits and labelling requirements for the constituents of natural mineral waters and the conditions for using ozone-enriched air for the treatment of natural mineral waters and spring waters. Official Journal of the European Union, 22.5.2003, L126, 34–39.
EC, 2004. Directive 2004/35/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on Environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage. Official Journal of the European Communities, 30.4.2004, L143, 56-75.
EC, 2006a. Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC. Official Journal of the European Communities, 30.12.2006, L396, 1-849.
EC, 2006b. Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. Commission of the European Communities, Brussels, 22.9.2006, COM(2006)231 final, 12 pp.
EC, 2007. Corrigendum to Directive 2006/121/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 amending Council Directive 67/548/EEC on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances in order to adapt it to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and establishing a European Chemicals Agency. Official Journal of the European Communities, 29.5.2007, L136, 281-282.
EC, 2007. Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2007 establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE). Official Journal of the European Communities, 25.4.2007, L108, 1-14.
EC, 2008a. Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (CLP Regulation). Official Journal of the European Communities, 31.12.2008, L353, 1-1355.
EC, 2008b. Directive 2008/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2008 amending Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission. Official Journal of the European Union, 20.3.2008, L81, 60–61.
EC, 2008c. Directive 2008/1/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2008 concerning integrated pollution prevention and control. Official Journal of the European Union, 29.1.2008, L24, 8-29.
Johnson, C.C. and Demetriades, A., 2011. Urban geochemical mapping: A review of case studies in this volume. In: C.C. Johnson, A. Demetriades, R.T. Ottesen and J. Locutura (Editors), Mapping the Chemical Environment of Urban Areas. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK, 7-27.
OECD, 2009. Manual for Investigation of HPV Chemicals. OECD Secretariat, Paris. Available online at: http://www.oecd.org/document/7/0,3746,en_2649_34379_1947463_1_1_1_1,00.html – Last accessed on 29th January 2011.
Reimann, C. and Birke, M. (Editors), 2010. Geochemistry of European Bottled Water. Borntraeger Science Publishers, Stuttgart, 268 pp.
UNEP, 2006. Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management Comprising the Dubai Declaration on International Chemicals Management, the Overarching Policy Strategy and the Global Plan of Action. UNEP secretariat for the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, 84 pp. Available online at: http://www.saicm.org/documents/saicm%20texts/standalone_txt.pdf – Last accessed on 29th January 2011.
Van-Camp, L., Bujarrabal, B., Gentile, A.R., Jones, R.J.A., Montanarella, L., Olazabal, C., Selvaradjou, S-K., 2004. Reports of the Technical Working Groups established under the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection, volumes 1 to 6. Available online at: http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ESDB_Archive/eusoils_docs/doc.html#OtherReports – Last accessed on 29th January 2011 (Go to item 16 to download the six volumes).
19
LIST OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PARTICIPANTS
COUNTRY SURVEY NAME
NORWAY NGU Clemens Reimann (Chairperson)
ALBANIA AGS Agim Mazreku
AUSTRIA GBA
Sebastian Pfleiderer
Gerhard Hobier
Albert Schedl
BELGIUM GSB Walter De Vos
BULGARIA MOEW Valeri Trendafilov
CROATIA HGI-CGS Josip Halamić
Ajka Šorša
CYPRUS GSD Andreas Zissimos
CZECH REPUBLIC CZS Michal Poňavič
DENMARK GEUS Vibeke Ernstsen
ESTONIA EGK Jaan Kivisilla
EGK Valter Petersell
FINLAND GTK Tommi Kauppila
GTK Timo Tarvainen
FRANCE BRGM Ignace Salpeteur
Philippe Negrel
GERMANY BGR Manfred Birke
HELLAS IGME Alecos Demetriades
HUNGARY MAFI Gyozo Jordan
IRELAND GSI Patrick O’Connor
ITALY ISPRA
Marco Falconi
Nicoletta Calace
Maurizio Guerra
LITHUANIA LGT Virgilija Gregorauskiene
LUXEMBURG SGL Robert Maquil
NORWAY NGU Jan Høst
Rolf Tore Ottesen
POLAND PGI Anna Pasieczna
Aleksander Biel
20
COUNTRY SURVEY NAME
Aleksandra Dusza-Dobek
PORTUGAL LNEG
Maria Joao Batista
Rita Caldeira
Joao Matos
ROMANIA GIR Adriana Ion - office
ROMANIA GIR Adriana Ion - personal
SLOVAK REPUBLIC SGUDS Dusan Bodis
Daniela Mackovych
SLOVENIA GEOZS Mateja Gosar
SPAIN IGME Juan Locutura
Alejandro Bel-Lan
SWEDEN SGU Madelen Andersson
Kaj Lax
SWITZERLAND SWISSTOPO Peter Hayoz
THE NETHERLANDS TNO Jasper Griffionen
UK BGS
Shaun Reeder
Dee Flight
Andreas Scheib
Chris Johnson
UKRAINE UkrSGRI
Boris Maliuk
Volodymyr Klos
Maryna Vladymyrova
LIST OF GEMAS PARTICIPANTS
COUNTRY INSTITUTION NAME
AUSTRIA
GBA Heinz Reitner
AIT Edith Haslinger
TU Wien Peter Filzmoser
BELGIUM Rio Tinto Minerals Ilse Schoeters
Eurometaux Violaine Verougstraete
BOSNIA &
HERZEGOVINA
GSBH Hazim Hrvatovic
21
COUNTRY INSTITUTION NAME
CROATIA Zagreb University Stjepan Husnjak
CYPRUS GSD Zomenia Zomeni
CZECH REPUBLIC CZS Miloslav Duris
FINLAND GTK Mikael Eklund
F.Y.R.O.M. Inst. Chemistry, Sts. Cyril &
Methodius Univ. Trajce Stafilov
GERMANY BGR
Rainer Hoffmann
Jens Utermann
Uwe Rauch
HELLAS IGME Maria Kaminari
Marianthi Stefouli
HUNGARY MAFI Ubul Fügedi
László Kuti
IRELAND GSI Vincent Gallagher
ITALY
Univ. Napoli Benedetto De Vivo
Univ. Napoli Annamaria Lima
Univ. Napoli Stefano Albanese
Univ. Bologna Enrico Dinelli
Univ. Sannio Domenico Cicchella
Univ. Cagliari Paolo Valera
LATVIA LEGM Agency Aivars Gilucis
MONTENEGRO GSM Ranko Srvkota
NORWAY NGU Ola A. Eggen
POLAND PGI Pawel Kwecko
PORTUGAL LNEG Cátia Prazeres
SERBIA GIS Aleksandra Gulan
SEPA Dragana Vidojević
SLOVAK REPUBLIC SGUDS
Igor Slaninka
Peter Sefcik
Silvester Pramuka
SWITZERLAND ART Reto Giulio Meuli
THE NETHERLANDS Alterra Gerben Mol
UNITED KINGDOM BGS Mick Strutt
22
COUNTRY INSTITUTION NAME
BGS Paul McDonnell
Univ. East Anglia Jurian Hoogewerff
INTERNATIONAL -
AUSTRALIA CSIRO Land & Water
Mike McLaughlin
Jason Kirby
Sean Forrester
Les Janik
The Annual Report for 2010 was compiled and edited by Alecos Demetriades with the assistance of
all EGS Geochemistry Expert Group and associate members. The final version for submission to
the EGS office was approved by Clemens Reimann.
Trondheim, 30th January, 2011
Dr. Clemens Reimann
Chairman, EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert Group
E-mail: [email protected]
23
INDEX 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 2 2. MISSION ................................................................................................................................ 2
2.1 Vision ............................................................................................................................... 3 3. THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION ............................................................................................ 3
3.1 Agricultural and Grazing land soil geochemistry ............................................................... 4 3.2 Ground water geochemistry .............................................................................................. 5 3.3 Urban geochemistry .......................................................................................................... 6
4. CONTINUED WORK WITH THE FOREGS SAMPLES/DATA ........................................... 6 5. EUROPEAN GROUND WATER PROJECT (EGG) .............................................................. 7 6. GEOCHEMISTRY OF AGRICULGURAL AND GRAZING LAND SOIL (GEMAS) ......... 12 7. URBAN GEOCHEMISTRY ................................................................................................. 14
7.1 Part 1 – The Book ........................................................................................................... 14 7.2 Part 2 – The Urban Geochemistry project (URGE) .......................................................... 15
8. OTHER ................................................................................................................................. 16 8.1 2010 Annual meeting ...................................................................................................... 16 8.2 Participation in International projects .............................................................................. 16 8.3 GEMAS project calendar ................................................................................................ 16 8.4 Geochemistry Expert Group website and Google Earth GEMAS photo database ............. 16 8.4 2011 Annual meeting ...................................................................................................... 17
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................... 17 LIST OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PARTICIPANTS.......................................................... 19 LIST OF GEMAS PARTICIPANTS ..................................................................................... 20
See also Attachment 1: Matschullat, J., 2011. Reviews on books internet and scientific media: Reimann, C. and
Birke, M. (Editors): Geochemistry of European bottled water. Environmental Earth
Sciences, 62(2), 443-446.
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BOOK REVIEW1
2 Reviews on books, internet and scientific media
3
45 � Springer-Verlag 2010
6Reimann C and Birke M (eds):
7Geochemistry of European bottled water
82010 | Borntraeger Science Publishers, Stuttgart | 268
9pp. | 28 figs, 6 tables, 67 element maps | incl. CD-ROM
10with original data | Hardback EUR 78 | ISBN
11978-3-443-01067-6
12Reviewed by Jorg Matschullat
13Countries of the European Union enjoy one of the best
14drinking water qualities on Earth with a rigorous and suc-
15cessful quality control of tap water from local and regional
16distribution systems. Yet, there is an increasing consumption
17of bottled water in Europe. People are obviously willing to
18pay a lot more than necessary for this commodity. Does
19bottled water deliver a better quality? Since this water has
20become an equivalent to drinking water for many people and
21is consumed regularly, it is well worth studying the chemical
22composition of these waters and examining beyond the
23standard suite of anions and cations often printed on bottle
24labels. This is but one aspect of the new geochemical atlas
25from EuroGeoSurveys (EGS) under the guidance of Clemens
26Reimann (Norwegian Geological Survey, NGU) and
27Manfred Birke (Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural
28Resources, BGR, Fig. 1). In 2008, 1,785 different mineral
29water bottles were sampled in 40 European countries, from
30Iceland to Turkey and from Russia to the Canary Islands.
31Obviously the EGS are setting an advanced and broader
32precedent to include some countries into the European envi-
33ronment. These samples are being used for a very different
34and most exciting additional purpose. Since the source of
35these bottled waters is mostly groundwater, the obtained
36samples serve as a good proxy for assessing groundwater
37quality. This is a key hypothesis of the EGS-project.
A1 J. Matschullat (&)
A2 Interdisciplinary Environmental Research Center,
A3 TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Brennhausgasse 14,
A4 09599 Freiberg, Germany
A5 e-mail: [email protected]
Fig. 1 Book cover image reproduced courtesy of Borntraeger
Science Publishers
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38 This new geochemical atlas is an impressive piece of
39 work (Fig. 2) reflecting the creativity of EGS and the
40 authors, who substantially have contributed to a better
41understanding of the geochemistry of Europe. At the same
42time, the book fills a serious gap in our knowledge and
43serves as a major source of information not only for
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44 geoscientists and planners, but also for public health
45 authorities. This very readable volume presents 67 hydro-
46 chemical maps that depict the respective analyte concen-
47 tration with graduated dot symbols on a 1:40 Mio. map
48 scale. The complex appendix, the original digital data and
49 all relevant metadata are included on a CD-ROM, which
50 permits every interested person to verify and work with the
51 data (Excel files). In addition, 28 figures and photographs
52 and six tables explain and well illustrate the general setting
53 as well as specific topics (see below). It deems noteworthy
54 to mention that colleagues from 40 European geological
55 surveys and universities contributed to this work, often
56 with great personal engagement that exceeded their com-
57 mon duties.
58 The Secretary General of EGS, Luca Demicheli, the
59 President of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and
60 Natural Resources (BGR), Hans-Joachim Kumpel, and the
61 Director of the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU),
62 Morten Smelror, all point out the logical consequence of
63 this new atlas in continuation of the Geochemical Atlas of
64 Europe series. That atlas and several more (including the
65 new one on bottled water) are examples for low-density
66 geochemical mapping. The related concept still provokes
67 great discussion. Nevertheless, the approach is a most
68 helpful tool to assess the truly representative situation of a
69 larger region and cannot be compared with high-resolution
70 sampling, and the related interpretation. It goes without
71 saying that such a large-scale, low-resolution approach
72 comes with a particular responsibility in data presentation
73 and interpretation. Hence, expectations towards this new
74 atlas are certainly high.
75 The entire volume is organized into nine chapters. The
76 ‘‘Introduction’’ (Chap. 1) outlines the concept of the pro-
77 ject, defines ground and mineral waters, and goes into some
78 detail on water sources and related influences on the
79 respective water quality. It also points out rather diverse
80 sources (aquifer depths, etc.) of commercially available
81 bottled waters, including medicinal waters (sometimes sold
82 in supermarkets!), and the various bottle materials. The
83 authors are very much aware of the limitations of their
84 findings, of their interpretation, and just as much, of the
85 true opportunities arising from such a database. Thus, they
86 justify their hypothesis to use the bottled waters as proxies
87 for groundwater quality and later test this hypothesis
88 thoroughly on various levels. They state the shortcomings,
89 i.e. possible non-representativity of the data based on six
90 arguments: (a) probable exclusion of point-source pollu-
91 tion, (b) possible water treatment prior to bottling, e.g.,
92 aeration and Fe and Mn felling, (c) artificial gasification
93 and CO2 enrichment, (d) influence of the bottle material on
94 the sample, (e) the general question of representativity for a
95 3-dimensional space as large as Europe, and (f) cultural
96 preferences for certain tastes in bottled waters that may
97drive a bias, e.g., between Western Europe versus Central
98and Eastern Europe.
99‘‘The Hydrochemistry of Groundwater’’ (Chap. 2) dis-
100cusses the influences of rainfall, vegetation, soil, and the
101various chemical reactions on the dispersion path from the
102vadose zone to the aquifer. Whether it is justified still to
103describe European rainfall as acidic due to contaminated
104rainfall, may be judged by the reader. Rainwater chemistry
105has largely recovered and hardly shows typical acidificat-
106ion patterns any longer—a clear success of European air
107quality control. The Durov diagram of all samples (Fig. 7)
108indicates only sodium on the axis, rather than Na ? K, and
109this may trigger misunderstanding for readers not familiar
110with this diagram. The third chapter delivers ‘‘Background
111Information’’ on the sampling area. Topography, geology,
112mineral deposits, hydrogeology, soil, climate, vegetation,
113land use and human activities are briefly introduced with a
114thematic map and a comprehensive text that includes
115further reading suggestions for more details. One could
116nicely declare this chapter as a short introduction to the
117European space. A minor shortcoming is the fact that the
118legends and related typefaces on maps are not homoge-
119neous, and that not all maps are overprinted with political
120boundaries to orient oneself geographically when hopping
121between the maps. Also, the Caspian Sea is sometimes not
122visible, e.g., on the satellite image of Europe (Fig. 8), while
123other large limnic basins are depicted. Another open
124question relates to the annual average precipitation
125(Fig. 16), the population density (Fig. 18), and the human
126activities (Fig. 17) maps. On the first two, Turkey is
127missing, and on the latter, Iceland and large parts of Russia.
128These imperfections, however, do not disturb the generally
129very good and helpful impression of the chapter.
130Everyone with the slightest experience in water analysis
131knows about the challenges that start with sampling and
132sample materials, sample transport, storage and preparation
133prior to analysis. It is no surprise that the authors are fully
134aware of related pitfalls. They meticulously describe all
135‘‘Methods’’ (Chap. 4), including the very tight quality control.
136All details on the entire process chain are given, including the
137instrument settings for the individual analysis, quality control
138used, international reference materials and in-house stan-
139dards, sample blanks and minimal detection limits (reaction
140cell ICP-QMS), duplicate analyses, re-analysis of selected,
141and a comparison of obtained values for major components
142with the information provided on bottle labels.
143As a result, it is reassuring to know that label informa-
144tion could be in most cases fully confirmed. Bottle leaching
145can pose a serious problem, as was known in advance
146already from various publications. This work, however,
147provides to date the largest dataset and largest number of
148inorganic analytes. It also shows the significant difference
149between carbonated versus non carbonated waters, with a
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150 clear tendency for carbonated drinks to show higher ele-
151 ment concentrations (alkalinity, Pb, Sb and others). This
152 difference appears greater than differences found between
153 bottle types (glass vs. PET), although the work clearly
154 shows how transparent PET bottles influence water
155 samples considerably less than coloured PET. However,
156 the bottom-line of all quality control delivers the message
157 that ‘‘the majority of elements can be used to produce
158 geochemical maps that are not seriously influenced from
159 bottle materials’’. At the same time, these data unmistak-
160 ably show whether waters have been treated prior to bot-
161 tling or diluted (such as U-rich waters).
162 A one-page chapter ‘‘Datasets’’ (Chap. 5) briefly explains
163 the material provided on the CD-ROM, namely all bottled
164 water, European tap water, and other data sets for compar-
165 ison. Since the editors are aware of the ever increasing
166 market for bottled water in Europe, and since no related data
167 were (at least publicly) available, they also sampled tap
168 waters from more than 500 sites across Europe, to compare
169 their chemistry with that of the bottled waters. To further test
170 the reliability and applicability of the obtained material, the
171 surface water data/findings from the Geochemical Atlas of
172 Europe and a groundwater dataset representative for Nor-
173 way were included too. This is a most helpful service even
174 for independent investigations by anyone interested—
175 including student exercises at university level. Chapter 6
176 discusses a comparison between these four datasets, using
177 cumulative probability plots (CPs) for each of the 67 ana-
178 lyzed components. Possibly the most stunning result of this
179 exercise is the obvious fact ‘‘that with a few noteworthy
180 exceptions the bottled water samples provide a surprisingly
181 representative view of European water quality in terms of
182 median values and variation’’. Seeing these data, I can only
183 agree with this statement.
184 The heart of the book certainly is the ‘‘Maps and their
185 Interpretation’’ (Chap. 7). A short introduction repeats the
186 key limitations that any reader needs to keep in mind: no
187 usable Hg data (only two values above the limit of detection
188 at 10 lg L-1), no NO2- data due to the obvious fact that no
189 analysis was possible within 24 h after sampling, and no Sb
190 data on maps since antimony leaches considerably from both
191 PET and glass bottles. Still, values are given in the tables
192 since the concentrations are those consumed. Finally, no Sc
193 data, since a peak overlap occurs with Si when trying to
194 detect the scandium mass by quadrupol ICP-mass spec-
195 trometry. The editors have dissected Europe into four
196 quadrants, the data from each to be displayed separately in
197 box and whisker plots on the result pages. This approach
198 certainly will not answer all questions that readers may
199 have, but give a rapid overview of more significant sub-
200 continental differences—and motivate readers to use the
201 original data for an even more detailed spatial analysis of
202 data. Each results page shows the map, a CP-plot and a
203relative frequency distribution plot with a set of statistical
204core data (n, min, max, median, and percentiles) and the box
205plots. A second page for each analyte introduces the
206parameter and gives a most concise discussion of the
207obtained results. It goes without saying that this atlas cannot
208discuss these results in all detail, and the authors refer
209to parallel publications of individual papers in refereed
210journals where more information is given and shared.
211Nevertheless, these 134 pages of maps and comments pro-
212vide a most helpful and well-selected reference that allows
213even educated lay people to quickly obtain key information
214for each of the analytes.
215The second last chapter ‘‘Health Implications’’ (Chap. 8)
216directly addresses not only public health authorities but
217also anyone else interested in current environmental leg-
218islation (threshold and maximum admissible values) with a
219concise overview of our knowledge on the selected ana-
220lyte’s toxicities—and importantly, of problems arising
221from insufficient supply with related components. It also
222critically discusses toxicological evidence and rightfully
223points at both cultural but also political bias introduced in
224related threshold values and permissible limits. It finally
225points out that ever so often it is not inorganic compounds
226that compromise a decent drinking water quality but
227organic components, including microbial contamination
228that may seriously threaten safe potability.
229The final chapter concludes with the justified statement
230that the atlas can be used to obtain a first impression of the
231natural variation of elements in water at a European scale. It
232emphasizes once again—and importantly—that analyte
233concentrations generally vary by three to four orders of
234magnitude, sometimes up to seven. While this may not be a
235surprise really, it challenges per se the attempt to define
236thresholds and limit values without even knowing about
237natural variability and without assessing related processes
238and sources. It points out that several elements, for which no
239drinking water standards exist in Europe, show surprisingly
240high concentrations in bottled water, albeit not necessarily
241toxicologically relevant. On the other hand, the authors
242rightly point out that more attention should be given to both
243ends of the distribution function (‘‘deficiency as well as
244toxicity’’). These points are then further highlighted. A most
245helpful list of references and the already mentioned appen-
246dix rounds up this very well written and presented volume.
247High expectations are met (see above) on more than one
248level. The readability certainly deserves merit as do the
249magnificent illustrations and concise maps. The fact alone
250that this book is accompanied by its digital database makes it
251an invaluable source for a large number of people in academia
252and beyond. This atlas will likely find a very wide distribution
253not only in Europe but around the world and provide related
254data for study drinking water and groundwater studies, which
255are badly needed for sustainable development.
256
Environ Earth Sci
123Journal : Large 12665 Dispatch : 13-10-2010 Pages : 4
Article No. : 768h LE h TYPESET
MS Code : h CP h DISK4 4
