eea flag

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is the third most frequently reported priority substance in European waters at concentrations exceeding safe thresholds. BaP is formed from the incomplete combustion of organic material, such as coal, oil and wood, and in humans can cause cancer. In this page we provide maps giving an overview of concentrations of BaP in rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters and groundwater, based on voluntarily reported Waterbase - Water Quality (WISE6)  data.

What we learnt from the Waterbase - Water Quality (WISE6) data reported by countries

49%

monitored sites in rivers and lakes

above the quality threshold

in 2023

0.5%

monitored sites in groundwater bodies

above the quality threshold

in 2023

13%

monitored sites in coastal waters

above the quality threshold

in 2023

The map shows monitoring sites where BaP concentrations are compared with quality thresholds for rivers, lakes, transitional and costal waters. Sites with yearly average concentrations below Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) are shown in blue, not exceeding the thrshold, while those with concentrations above the EQS are marked in red as exceeding. The EQS used for surface waters is 0.00017 µg/L as set under the Environmental Quality Standards Directive (2013/39). Monitoring sites shown in grey - unknown - are those where the concentration has been reported as below the limit of quantification but above the EQS.

The map shows monitoring sites where BaP concentrations are compared with the quality threshold for groundwater. Sites with yearly average concentrations below the quality threshold are shown in green, not exceeding the threshold, while those with concentrations above the threshold are marked in orange, as exceeding.  As there is not a Europe-wide threshold for BaP in groundwater, the threshold used here is 0.01 µg/L, which is the threshold used by most countries delivering the data (Groundwater methodology - WFD). Monitoring sites shown in grey - unknown - are those where the concentration has been reported as below the limit of quantification but above 0.01ug/l.