Short Communication Hazardous substances in the aquatic environment of Estonia Ott Roots a,b,⇑ , Antti Roose c a Estonian Environmental Research Institute (under Estonian Environmental Research Centre), Tallinn, Estonia b Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu, Estonia c Department of Geography, University of Tartu, Estonia highlights  130 Hazardous substances from 12 substances groups were investigated.  Higher concentrations were detected in the north-eastern Estonia.  Organotin compounds in sediments need further in-depth surveys. article info Article history: Received 5 October 2012 Received in revised form 8 May 2013 Accepted 14 May 2013 Available online 2 July 2013 Keywords: Hazardous substances Surface water Waste water Sewage sludge Bottom sediment Estonia abstract The Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to regulate the management of European surface water bodies. Directive 2008/105/EC, which establishes the environmental quality standards of priority sub- stances and certain other pollutants, the content of which in the surface water should be monitored, has been transposed by the Estonian Ministry of Environment 9 September 2010 Regulation No. 49. Sampled hazardous substances were selected primarily based on their toxicity, as well as their lifetime in environment and ability to accumulate in living organisms (bioaccumulation). The contents of hazard- ous substances and their groups determined from Estonian surface waters remained below the limits of quantifications of used analysis methods in most cases. However, the content of some heavy metals, mono- and dibasic phenols in the surface water/waste water and sewage sludge/bottom sediments can still reach the delicate levels in the Estonian oil shale region in particular. Among new substances ana- lysed in Estonia historically first time in 2010, amounts of organotin compounds in sediments and some alkylphenols, their ethoxylates and phthalates were found in various sample matrices. Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Upon selecting the hazardous substances, the lists of substances hazardous to aquatic environment with the 21 July 2010 Regula- tion No. 32 ‘‘Lists 1 and 2 of substances and groups of substances hazardous to the aquatic environment and lists of priority sub- stances, priority hazardous substances and their substance groups’’ adopted by the Estonian Ministry of Environment was followed. Directive 2008/105/EC sets the environmental quality standards of priority substances and other specified pollutants. The national monitoring programme, setting the surface water monitoring, was transposed by the Estonian Ministry of Environment 9 Sep- tember 2010 Regulation No. 49. The programme covers 33 priority substances of the WFD and in addition 16 hazardous substances or groups of hazardous substances. Environmental monitoring is regulated in Estonia by the Law on environmental monitoring, adopted by the Estonian Parliament January 20th, 1999. The concentrations of hazardous substances were studied at different sampling sites and matrices. 130 different substances from 12 substances groups were investigated many of them for the first time in the Estonia in 2010. Based on this recent survey the aim of this paper is to examine the pollution by hazardous sub- stances in the aquatic environment in Estonia, to track and explore the sources in order to elaborate targeted surveys and action-plan for the reduction of discharges or phasing out of hazardous sub- stances from the sources. 2. Materials and methods For the selection of sampling matrices, three main criteria were taken into account: solubility of substances in water; the bio- concentration factor (BCF) and the persistence of chemicals in the environment. Based on ‘‘Guidance on chemical monitoring of sedi- ment and biota under the WFD (Guidance Document No. 25, 2010) referred, optional and not recommended matrices were chosen. 0045-6535/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.05.036 ⇑ Corresponding author at: Estonian Environmental Research Institute (under Estonian Environmental Research Centre), Tallinn, Estonia. Tel.: +372 6112964; fax: +372 6112901. E-mail address: ott.roots@klab.ee (O. Roots). Chemosphere 93 (2013) 196–200 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Chemosphere journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/chemosphere