Risk management of emerging compounds and pathogens in the water cycle (RiSKWa)

The funding measure “Risk Management of Emerging Compounds and Pathogens in the Water Cycle (RiSKWa)” aims to develop an innovative and dynamic risk management system accompanied by on site demonstrations. In this framework the 12 joint research projects and the scientific support project of “RiSKWa” are working on the identification of risks as well as the development of technologies and strategies to avoid or reduce the appearance of emerging compounds and pathogens in the water cycle.One of the central issues in RiSKWa is the evaluation of toxic relevant substances and thus evaluation concepts regarding eco-/human toxicology as well as microbiological aspects will be optimized and adapted. Concepts like inter alia REACH data or the health-related indication value (HRIV) concept are proven concepts for the identification and classification of emerging compounds and pathogens. Finally the results are relevant for drinking water supply, waste water disposal and water pollution control even if the requirements differ within the various sectors.With regard to non-target screening a database to back up the gained data will be developed. In addition to the identified substances their metabolites and resistances are also examined and documented. Due to little concentrations and a wide range of emerging compounds and pathogens the (further) development of established and new analytical methods is essential for a comprehensive risk management. Regarding drinking water supply existing installations are inspected and technologies to guarantee a high drinking water quality are optimized.Impacts of climate change and demographic development cause increasing concentrations of anthropogenic trace substances and pose a challenge to urban water supply and water disposal in the medium to long term. To characterize the behavior of anthropogenic trace substances within the urban water cycle, knowledge on the impact of natural and technical barriers is essential. This issue is studied