Bioaccumulation, the accumulation of a chemical in an organism relative to its level in the ambient medium, is of major environmental concern. Thus, monitoring chemical concentrations in biota are widely and increasingly used for assessing the chemical status of aquatic ecosystems. In this paper, various scientific and regulatory aspects of bioaccumulation in aquatic systems and the relevant critical issues are discussed. Monitoring chemical concentrations in biota can be used for compliance checking with regulatory directives, for identification of chemical sources or event-related environmental risk assessment. Assessing bioaccumulation in the field is challenging since many factors have to be considered that can affect the accumulation of a chemical in an organism. Passive sampling can complement biota monitoring since samplers with standardised partition properties can be used over a wide temporal and geographical range. Bioaccumulation is also assessed for regulation of chemicals of environmental concern whereby mainly data from laboratory studies on fish bioaccumulation are used. Field data can, however, provide additional important information for regulators. Strategies for bioaccumulation assessment still need to be harmonised for different regulations and groups of chemicals. To create awareness for critical issues and to mutually benefit from technical expertise and scientific findings, communication between risk assessment and monitoring communities needs to be improved. Scientists can support the establishment of new monitoring programs for bioaccumulation, e.g. in the frame of the amended European Environmental Quality Standard Directive.

O-30B3-4 Background/Aims: The German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) is a permanent monitoring instrument investigating time trends and sources of environmental pollution, as well as the contamination and fate of chemicals in environmental and human media. It is run jointly by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, the Federal Environment Agency, and research institutes with special competencies in relevant fields of research (eg, sampling of human, biological, and abiotic material, trace analysis of pollutants, and bio banking). Methods: Exposures to different chemicals (lead, PFOS/PFOA, PCB, arsenic) were investigated in samples from 1985 until today, that is, in human blood, spruce shoots, bream muscle, blue mussels, and herring-gull eggs. The results were used for comparing exposure of wildlife and man, analyzing redundancy of information, elucidating accumulation along food chains and exposure pathways for human exposure, describing spatial differences, assessing risks for human health and the environment, and developing monitoring standards and quality criteria. Results: Lead, for example, decreased in spruce shoots as well as in humans due to regulatory measures. In contrast, levels in blue mussels remained constant. As lead is a health-relevant pollutant, the exposure for human and predators in the ecosystem has to be further investigated. PFOS decreased in human blood plasma, but not in herring-gull eggs. This indicates the persistence of PFOS in aquatic surroundings and the need for further analyses of exposure pathways. Constant levels of PFOA in blood plasma as well as in herring-gull eggs might be due to an insufficient voluntary agreement for exposure reduction. Conclusion: The ESB generates a broad perspective on a wide range of specimen with different functions in ecosystems. It supports the assessment of regulatory measures on health and the environment, and the identification of priority areas for future regulation. Thus, the German ESB constitutes an example for an integrated specimen bank, based on long-term experience.

In field monitoring, sex ratio as an endpoint of possible endocrine effects at population level can only be recorded as the deviation from the natural sex ratio. Unfortunately, data on natural sex ratios of many species cannot be used to control for such effects. This also applies to bream (Abramis brama L.), an important fish species in passive biomonitoring. Here we show that in natural bream populations the sex ratio decreases with increasing age. Age class specific correction coefficients were derived to eliminate age-dependency of the sex ratio.

Previous forecasts about consequences of climate change have given rise to expectations of drastic changes to the composition of natural systems; the loss of biodiversity seems bound to continue. Whilst the focus is on organisms and biocoenosis, the intraspecific loss of allele diversity can play a very major role. Current strategies for monitoring and forecasting climate impact are pursued at two levels at the German ESB. Genetic monitoring is currently performed on selected sampling specimens, in order to be able to identify inferences about the automatic adjustment of population-biology processes in the environment and the contamination of habitats. These can be applied as warning signals of demographic change in the population. Studies at organismic level concentrate on evaluating biometric parameters in the common spruce (Picea abies). In combination with meteorological data, forecasts of future trends can be designed on the basis of regional climate models. To monitor biocoenosis changes, a “Species Information System” was developed additionally a few years ago. Carabid beetles, forest floor vegetation and freshwater fish have been selected as indicator groups in this pilot study; initial characterizations of all sampling sites have been completed.

The European Water Framework Directive implies a risk based sediment management. In this approach, sediments are recognised as secondary sources of contaminants, and suspended particulate matter (SPM) as the carrier. For that reason, the concept of the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) includes the establishment of these specimens. The ESB is characterised by a high quality assurance system of standard operation procedures (SOP) to preserve the integrity of the specimens under cryogenic conditions for transportation, storage and handling. The aim of this study was (1) the development and validation of SOPs for the collection of sediment and SPM, and (2) the adaptation and standardisation of sampling techniques for the ESB. This paper provides information about sediment and SPM as new specimens in the ESB.