Target- and Non-target Screening of Organic Pollutants at the International Monitoring Station of the River Rhine at Basel
The Rhine catchment is a source of drinking
water for more than 20 million people. So, given the need to detect and
identify problematic substances as early as possible, it is little wonder that
the Rhine is among the world’s most closely monitored river systems. In
cooperation with the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the Office
for the Environment and Energy of Canton Basel-Stadt (AUE), Eawag is
investigating how the latest analytical methods can be used to detect
substances in the Rhine not previously covered by monitoring programmes. First
of all, an analytical method was developed based on liquid chromatography
coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). In a second step the
method will be implemented in the laboratories of the Rhine monitoring station
at Basel and adapted to the on-site needs. The capabilities of this method for
the target and non-target screening will be refined within the project frame.
Furthermore, mass flux studies of selected contaminants in the river Rhine will
be realized with the newly developed screening technique.
Project partners
Cantonal Office for Environment and Energy Basel:
Jan Mazacek, Dorrit Griesshaber, Steffen
Ruppe, Manfred Beubler
Federal Office for the Environment FOEN:
Christian Leu, Ueli Sieber, Stephan Müller,
Publications
- Final report, Multi Compound Screening in the River Rhine at Basel [pdf, German]
- Final report - summary, Multi Compound Screening in the River Rhine at Basel [pdf, German]
- Project description, article in the Eawag annual report 2008 [pdf]
The Rhine port in Basel (Bildquelle PR Eawag)