Interest for the European Water Framework Directive of the non-targeted chemical analysis of organic micropollutants in aquatic environments

Abstract

In this note, the authors review a non-targeted screening method for the detection of new organic micropollutants and possible transformation products of substances released into the aquatic environment. The exhaustive and unbiased analysis of samples collected in aquatic environments (water, sediment and biota) by this approach makes it a complementary tool to targeted analysis and valuable for monitoring under the European Water Framework Directive.