The influence of POP and metal contamination in Flemish water bodies (Belgium) on ecological water quality and biota populations

Worldwide industrial development, intensive agriculture and high population densities have led to the presence of numerous pollutants in the aquatic environment. These pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and metals, threaten the ecological quality of rivers, canals and lakes, and can cause adverse effects on local invertebrate and fish communities. However, it is hard to determine what pollution level will lead to detrimental effects on population level, because low level effects are not always translated into higher level effects and often the... Mehr ...