In the summer of 2022, an environmental disaster occurred in the Oder River: an estimated 1,000 tons of fish, mussels, and snails died. This began in the Polish part of the Oder and continued downstream into Germany. The cause was a toxic brackish algae called Prymnesium parvum.
Pesticides can cause damage to the environment. A project coordinated by the German Environment Agency for the European Environment Agency provides the first overview of pesticides in rivers. lakes and groundwater reported by EU Member States. The report confirms that additional measures are necessary to ensure compliance with environmental quality standards in waters.
Pesticides are the active substances used in plant protection products and biocides. They are toxic in especially to plants (herbicides), insects (insecticides) or fungi (fungicides).
The group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exceeds the values of the environmental quality standards for chemicals regulated in the German Ordinance on Surface Waters.
Persistent organic pollutants are subject to long-range transport and also occur in the environment far from their source. They accumulate in the suspended solids of watercourses and in the food chain. They are toxic to humans and wildlife.
Metals and selenium are found in the environment in various different compounds. Their geogenic concentrations (background concentrations ) vary. Some metals and selenium are essential for organisms at low concentrations.
Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients for aquatic plants (algae, macrophytes). Their high concentration causes excessive growth especially of algae (Eutrophication). Rivers transport nitrogen and phosphorus into lakes and North sea and Baltic sea and influence its nutrient concentration.
