From: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/surface-water-pollution-risk-assessment-for-your-environmental-permit
Estuaries and coastal waters priority hazardous substances, priority substances and other pollutants environmental quality standards (EQS)
This worksheet contains one table.
Some abbreviations are used in this table, PHS is priority hazardous substance, PS is priority substance, OP is other pollutant, PAH is polyaromatic hydrocarbons.
Updated 21 February 2022
| Substance | Annual average environmental quality standard (micrograms per litre) | Maximum allowable concentration environmental quality standard (micrograms per litre) | Animals and plants (micrograms per kilogram) | Category of environmental quality standard (PHS is priority hazardous substance, PS is priority substance, OP is other pollutant) |
| Aclonifen | 0.012 | 0.012 | Not applicable | PS |
| Alachlor | 0.3 | 0.7 | Not applicable | PS |
| Anthracene | 0.1 | 0.1 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Atrazine | 0.6 | 2 | Not applicable | PS |
| Benzene | 8 | 50 | Not applicable | PS |
| Benzo(a)-pyrene (BaP) (see PAHs below for AA and biota EQS) | Not applicable | 0.027 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Benzo(b)-fluor-anthene (see PAHs below for AA and biota EQS) | Not applicable | 0.017 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Benzo(k)-fluor-anthene (see PAHs below for AA and biota EQS) | Not applicable | 0.017 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Benzo(g,h,i)-perylene (see PAHs below for AA and biota EQS) | Not applicable | 0.00082 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Bifenox (Methyl 5-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-2-nitrobenzoate) | 0.0012 | 0.004 | Not applicable | PS |
| Brominated diphenylether (total PBDE or congener numbers 28, 47, 99, 100, 153 and 154) | Not applicable | 0.014 | 0.0085 in fish | PHS |
| Cadmium and its compounds (dissolved) | 0.2 | Not applicable | Not applicable | PHS |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 12 | Not applicable | Not applicable | OP |
| Chlorfenvinphos | 0.1 | 0.3 | Not applicable | PS |
| C10-13 chloroalkanes | 0.4 | 1.4 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Chlorpyrifos (chlorpyrifos-ethyl) | 0.03 | 0.1 | Not applicable | PS |
| Cybutryne | 0.0025 | 0.016 | Not applicable | PS |
| Cyclodiene pesticides (total aldrin, dieldrin, endrin and isodrin) | 0.005 | Not applicable | Not applicable | OP |
| Cypermethrin | 8 x 10-6 | 6 x 10-5 | Not applicable | PS |
| DDT (total) | 0.025 | Not applicable | Not applicable | OP |
| Para-para-DDT | 0.01 | Not applicable | Not applicable | OP |
| 1,2-dichloro-ethane | 10 | Not applicable | Not applicable | PS |
| Dichloro-methane | 20 | Not applicable | Not applicable | PS |
| Dichlorvos | 6 x 10-5 | 7 x 10-5 | Not applicable | PS |
| Dicofol | 3.2 x 10-5 | Not applicable | 33 µg/kg in fish | PHS |
| Di(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) | 1.3 | Not applicable | Not applicable | PHS |
| Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds | Not applicable | Not applicable | 0.0065 in fish, crustaceans and molluscs | PHS |
| Diuron | 0.2 | 1.8 | Not applicable | PS |
| Endosulphan | 0.0005 | 0.004 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Fluoranthene | 0.0063 | 0.12 | 30 in crustaceans or molluscs | PS |
| Heptachlor & heptachlor epoxide | 0.00000001 | 0.00003 | 0.0067 in fish | PHS |
| Hexabromocyclo-dodecane (HBCDD) | 0.0008 | 0.05 | 167 in fish | PHS |
| Hexachloro-benzene | Not applicable | 0.05 | 10 in fish | PHS |
| Hexachloro-butadiene | Not applicable | 0.6 | 55 in fish | PHS |
| Hexachloro-cyclohexane | 0.002 | 0.02 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Indeno(1,2,3-cd)-pyrene (see PAHs below for AA and biota EQS) | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | PHS |
| Isoproturon | 0.3 | 1 | Not applicable | PS |
| Lead and its compounds (dissolved) | 1.3 | 14 | Not applicable | PS |
| Mercury and its compounds (dissolved) | Not applicable | 0.07 | 20 in fish | PHS |
| Naphthalene | 2 | 130 | Not applicable | PS |
| Nickel and its compounds (dissolved) | 8.6 | 34 | Not applicable | PS |
| Nonylphenol (4-nonylphenol) | 0.3 | 2 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Octylphenol (4-(1,1',3,3'-tetramethyl-butyl)-phenol) | 0.01 | Not applicable | Not applicable | PS |
| Pentachloro-benzene | 0.0007 | Not applicable | Not applicable | PHS |
| Pentachloro-phenol | 0.4 | 1 | Not applicable | PS |
| Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its salts (PFOS) | 0.00013 | 7.2 | 9.1 in fish | PHS |
| Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) - Benzo(a)-pyrene (BaP), Benzo(b)-fluor-anthene, Benzo(k)-fluor-anthene, Benzo(g,h,i)-perylene and Indeno(1,2,3-cd)-pyrene. Benzo(a)pyrene can be considered as a marker for the other PAHs, hence only benzo(a)pyrene needs to be monitored for comparison with the biota EQS or the corresponding AA-EQS in water | 0.00017 | Not applicable | 5 in crustaceans or molluscs | PHS |
| Quinoxyfen | 0.015 | 0.54 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Simazine | 1 | 4 | Not applicable | PS |
| Terbutryn | 0.0065 | 0.034 | Not applicable | PS |
| Tetrachloro-ethylene | 10 | Not applicable | Not applicable | OP |
| Tributyltin compounds (tributyltin-cation) | 0.0002 | 0.0015 | Not applicable | PHS |
| Trichloro-benzenes | 0.4 | Not applicable | Not applicable | PS |
| Trichloro-ethylene | 10 | Not applicable | Not applicable | OP |
| Tricholoro-methane (chloroform) | 2.5 | Not applicable | Not applicable | PS |
| Trifluralin | 0.03 | Not applicable | Not applicable | PHS |