Department Environmental Chemistry
Early detection of future organic pollutants in the environment (FROSCH)
There are several tens of thousands of organic chemicals on the market but existing monitoring programs cover only a selection of chemicals. The goal of the project FROSCH is to develop in collaboration with the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), ETH Zürich and Agroscope a strategy for the early detection of organic contaminants.
In the first part of the project, an extensive computer-based screening of the Swiss customs statistics and product registers is conducted and a multimedia fate model is used for the exposure prediction (ETH Zürich). At Eawag the “list of candidates” is then screened in representative environmental samples using high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS). The analytical technique is applied on archived topsoil samples from the national soil monitoring program of Switzerland (Nationale Bodenbeobachtung - NABO) and lake sediment samples.
Project partner
Federal Office for the Environment FOEN
Josef Tremp and Andreas Buser
Agroscope - Reckenholz
Thomas Bucheli, Armin Keller and Daniel Waechter
ETH Zürich
Martin Scheringer and Greta Stieger