What’s in Our Water: The significance of trace organic compounds

Australian Symposium Series on Ecological Risk Assessment and Management of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in the Australasian Environment

The symposium series

Three symposia were held at CSIRO's Black Mountain Laboratory in 2004, 2007 and 2010.

The aims of the symposiums were to:

• bring together key stakeholders including regulators, researchers, natural resource managers, policy makers and other government and non-government agencies
• facilitate discussion and exchange of current information and knowledge on EDCs and PPCPs in an open forum
• develop a better understanding of the risks posed by EDCs and PPCPs in the Australian environment and help to develop future directions for effective management strategies, and
• identify priorities for research, risk management options and opportunities for managing chemicals of emerging concern in aquatic environments.

In 2004, the first symposium of this series provided the platform for various interested groups to discuss issues related to the risks of these chemicals in the Australian environment. The workshop identified research needs and triggered further research on this topic.

In 2007, the second symposium was held in Canberra at which the Technical Report was launched and a major outcome from the symposium was the Black Mountain Declaration.

• Read the Black Mountain Declaration on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Australian Waters 2007, a major outcome from the conference (PDF, 55 kB)
• Download the technical report "Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the Australian Riverine Environment" which was launched at the symposium (PDF, 1.7 MB)

In 2010, the third symposium built on the successes of the previous two symposia.

For more information contact: Dr Rai Kookana

Jointly organised by CSIRO's Water for a Healthy Country Flagship and the Australasian Society for Ecotoxicology's Micropollutants in Water Special Interest Group