Systematic use of contaminant data from apex predators and their prey in chemicals management
The AIM of LIFE APEX is to improve systematic use of chemical monitoring data from apex predators and prey for protecting human health and the environment.
Chemical monitoring data from apex predators (e.g. raptors, otters, seals) are of particular value; their position at the tops of food webs means they act as sentinels to reveal harmful substances, in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. When combined with data from selected prey (e.g. fish), apex predator data can deliver useful quantitative information on the persistence and bioaccumulation. LIFE APEX will make use of novel analytical methodologies that allow for screening of several thousands of chemical substances in each sample and prioritization of frequently occurring pollutants and their mixtures.
LIFE APEX involves making better and more cost-effective use of chemical monitoring data from the large, valuable but under-used resource of environmental samples in Europe’s Environmental Specimen Banks, Natural History Museums and other research collections.
LIFE APEX responds to needs of regulators for specific regulatory applications in relation to REACH and the Biocidal Products Regulation.
