DO YOU KNOW NORMAN?


“Are you involved in research on the occurrence and environmental effects of emerging substances? Or are you concerned with the assessment and management of the risks associated with them? If so, you are a potential stakeholder in the NORMAN network.” (http://www.norman-network.net/)


The major focus of much of the activities of environmental authorities to date has been to identify, measure and remediate traditional pollutants in the environment.


However as analytical


techniques have developed in terms of selectivity and sensitivity the range and complexity of compounds detected in environmental analysis has increased dramatically and attention is now being focussed on emerging environmental contaminants. These are not necessarily new chemicals but may be substances that have long been present in the environment but whose presence and signifi cance are only now being elucidated through developments in modern analytical techniques and data analysis software. Emerging contaminants include perfl uorinated compounds, nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, antibacterials, hormones, fl ame retardants, artifi cial sweeteners, benzotriazoles and bio toxins. Moreover, many of these contaminants can be transformed in the environment from processes such as metabolism, microbial degradation, photolysis, and hydrolysis, and they can also react with disinfectants in drinking water or wastewater treatment to form disinfection by-products.


This poses a major problem for researchers and regulators tasked with ascertaining the toxicity and risks associated with these compounds and this was the prime reason for the establishment of the NORMAN network.


The recent progress of the scientifi c community in analytical techniques and innovative monitoring tools, together with effi cient systems for data archiving and data treatment, will dramatically improve our knowledge of emerging substances. In this context, NORMAN fosters the exchange of information, validation and harmonization of protocols in view of future implementation of these new tools into policy.


NORMAN Overview


The NORMAN network was established in 2005 with fi nancial support from the European Commission and in 2009 it became a permanent self-sustaining network of reference laboratories, research centres and related organisations for the monitoring and biomonitoring of emerging environmental substances.


The stated mission of the NORMAN network is to:


• Enhance the exchange of information and collection of data on emerging environmental substances.


• Encourage the validation and harmonisation of common measurement methods and monitoring tools so that the demands of risk assessors can be better met.


• Ensure that knowledge of emerging pollutants is maintained and developed by stimulating coordinated, interdisciplinary projects on problem-oriented research and knowledge transfer to address identifi ed needs.


To achieve this the network organises a range of activities, including expert group meetings, workshops, databases and methods validation exercises, all of which are included in its Annual Joint Programmes of Activities.


Figure 2: Present and future passive sampler applications and cross- working group activities within the NORMAN association. Reproduced with permission from NORMAN.


NORMAN Working Groups


The NORMAN network runs six, topic-based working groups dealing with issues related to emerging substances and two horizontal working groups. The current working groups are:


AET October / November 2017 www.envirotech-online.com


Figure 1: The NORMAN decision tree for categorising emerging substances. Reproduced with permission from NORMAN.


The range of activities undertaken and the output from NORMAN is extensive and cannot be fully covered in an overview article where we are looking at the key features of the network and readers are advised to visit the excellent network website where details of all the activities and outputs can be found. (http://www. norman-network.net)


Working Group 1: – Prioritisation of Emerging Substances This group focuses on the identifi cation of the substances that pose the greatest threat to ecosystems and human health. A rational strategy for prioritisation is needed to close existing knowledge gaps as many chemicals of emerging concern cannot currently be satisfactorily evaluated or may even be overlooked by conventional prioritisation methods. The NORMAN method combines the ranking process with a prior allocation of the substances into action categories, which allows substances to be managed based on the level of available information, thereby avoiding the exclusion or discrimination of substances for which there are limited data. Figure 1 shows the fl ow chart for the NORMAN prioritisation process.


Working Group 2: - Bioassays and biomarkers in water quality monitoring


This group studies the value of bioassays and biomarkers in water monitoring programmes and develops strategies for the interpretation of results based on sharing data and experience via NORMAN databases and workshops. The group aims to defi ne and harmonize the interpretation of results gained within monitoring studies using bioassays with a view to determine what they can or cannot tell about our water quality and how decision- makers can use the results.


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