The European Union, according to their concern about environment and, in particular, the continental waters, has established on their Guideline 2000/60/CE a framework on the water policy, promoting its protection, rational use and quality control.
The European Union, in line with its concern for the environment and, for European waters in particular, has established in their Guideline 2000/60/CE a framework on water policy, promoting its protection, rational use and quality control. In addition to this guideline, there are to more; the Guideline 2008/105/CE, related to environmental quality standards on the water policy and which determines the quality standards for priority pollutants and other substances, and the Guideline 2009/90/CE, which establishes the technical specifications for the chemical analysis and the monitoring of water status (included on the Royal Decree 60/2011 about the environmental quality standards on water policy). These guidelines will help to introduce a strict legal framework which increases constantly the number of target substances.
This policy establishes concentration levels much lower than the established for the controlled substances until this moment, analyzed by the Spanish and European responsible laboratories. This fact has generated a huge need of methodological development and adaptation to the new situation of the laboratories.
On the other side, the EU guidelines related with the waste and toxic or priority substances control have evolved from conventional plans (procedure rules for the laboratories) to a plan which establishes that the laboratories have to develop and prove their procedures on their own, proving their ability to achieve the limits and requirements imposed.
On this framework, Applus+ Norcontrol have been developing for three years the DAMA Project, which determines, from the technical and economical point of view, the priority and pollutant emerging substances on the concentrations established by the legislation. Applus+ Norcontrol, according to their constant innovation policy, have requested the integration of the developed methods on the scope of the accreditation according to the standard UNE EN ISO 17025:2005.