1. Reporting of priority substances in Norway
Øyvind Hetland

2. The national priority list
Criteria for identifying priority ecological toxins (national priority list)
Substances that are persistent (P) and bioaccumulative (B), and that either
have serious long-term health effects, or
show high ecotoxicity
Substances that are very persistent (vP) and very bioaccumulative (vB) (no requirement for known toxic effects)
Substances found in the food chain in levels that give rise to an equivalent level of concern
Other substances that give rise to an equivalent level of concern, such as endocrine disruptors and heavy metals.

3. The national priority list
The information used for identification and prioritisation of substances:
Norwegian policy Commitments/International priority lists (North Sea Declaration, OSPAR priority lists)
List of dangerous substances (Annex 1), the Obs-lists
EU risk assessments (ESR Regulation)
Information on use (Norwegian Product Register data) and environmental monitoring data

4. Priority substances – sources
Different reporting methodology for different sources
Point sources – bottom up
Industry
Landfills
Waste water treatment plants
Aqua culture
Offshore
Diffuse sources – top down:
Agriculture
Households
Transport
Products

5. Reporting requirements for the industry sector
Facility sampling and analyzing
Facility Electronic report
Validation at the agency
Norwegian PRTR
Quality assurance through audits and inspections
The facility can see emission trends during reporting
Is the report in accordance with the permit?
Indicative list
Errors are easily visible

6. Reporting requirements for the industry sector
A general requirement in all discharge permits:
Releases of PS in quantities that can have an environmental impact shall be reported (No specific threshold)
Some facilities have specific emission limits for one or more PS
These substances shall always be reported

7. Quality assurance
Officers in the agency will validate the data – obvious errors will be reported back to the facility and corrected
During audits and inspections the agency will go through the monitoring programme and make relevant comments

8. How to improve the data quality
Two levels:
Sampling and analysing
In the permits, we have to be more specific on the sampling and analysing requirements
Sampling frequency
Use of standards
Accredited third party consultants
Specific guidelines (have recently been published by the agency)
Indicative list
The reporting system
A user friendly and foolproof reporting system
Motivated officers with good knowledge of the systems
Possibility for online interaction between the officer and the reporting facility

9. How to improve the data quality
Guidelines on monitoring and reporting of emissions:
The facility’s monitoring programme shall include:
all relevant emissions according to the permit and general requirements according to the priority substance list
Information on sampling frequency that gives a representative picture of the actual emissions
methods for measuring of water- or airflow
sampling techniques
details about calculations and reporting of emissions
assessment of uncertainty in measurements
Information on standards applied
...

10. Search for specific priority substances
Possible emissions of PCB/HCB from thermal processes:
The agency have recently instructed 20 large facilities to measure eventual emissions of PCB/HCB. This instruction was based on the assumption that facilities that have emissions of dioxins also might have emissions of PCB/HCB

11. Thank you for your attention!