IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute

During the 1970s and early 1980s, a series of studies on fish health were carried out, where the waters outside the ore smelter Rönnskärsverken were used to assess the impact of emissions from metal industries. The studies investigated possible connections between wastewater discharges from the Rönnskärsverken and spine deformations, the spine's mechanical properties (strength, elasticity, etc.), and its chemical composition. Observations in the field indicated an increased frequency of spinal injuries in fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) outside the smelter. Up to 40% of the collected sculpins had some form of skeletal deformation. It was also shown in experimental studies in a laboratory environment that Rönnskärsverken's metal emissions at the time could induce an increased incidence of spinal injuries in fourhorn sculpin.

Since the investigations mentioned above were carried out, the emissions from Rönnskärsverken have decreased dramatically. In a new fish survey carried out in 2020, it was found that the general state of health and reproductive capacity of perch (Perca fluviatilis) was good in the recipient. However, elevated levels of mercury and some stable organic substances are still present in the muscle tissue of the fish. A relatively large amount of perch material had been collected from the recipient and reference areas in Bothnian Bay. In 2021, a decision was made to carry out X-ray analyzes of the skeleton in the surplus material from the survey, roughly 400 perch individuals, which had been stored in a freezer, using a similar methodology that was used in the previous surveys. X-ray analyses were carried out at the National Museum of Natural History by ichthyologist Bo Delling, after which the image material was compiled and transferred to Professor Emeritus Bengt-Erik Bengtsson for interpretation.

The X-ray analysis results do not point to the frequency of skeletal deformations in perch being higher in the recipient compared to northern reference areas in the Gulf of Bothnia. The total damage frequency to perch in the recipient was 1.4% compared to 2.8% in the reference areas. Both values ​​are to be regarded as naturally occurring background levels. Far-reaching conclusions cannot be drawn from a single collection. However, the results of the investigation point to the fact that the environmental conditions in the recipient of the Rönnskärsverken have improved and that it is unlikely that an increased frequency of skeletal damage to fish to the extent previously established still exist.

Bivalves such as mussels (Mytilus edulis) and flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) are key species in coastal ecosystems and they contribute to increased biodiversity by creating habitats for other organisms and to several other important ecosystem services.

In recent years, both Mytilus and Ostrea banks have declined in number and extent in Europe, and there are also strong indications of a similar situation for Mytilus in Sweden. For Ostrea, knowledge of population sizes is generally lacking, which makes assessments of population development difficult.

The threat assessment carried out by OSPAR for Mytilus and Ostrea beds in Europe indicates that the primary cause of loss of bivalve beds in Europe is overexploitation and habitat loss, as well as disease outbreaks caused by pathogens. Swedish populations are, however, more or less spared from these factors and other aspects can therefore be assumed to have a greater impact on popu-lation development. However, other factors can also affect population development. For example, there is concern among management authorities that the invasive Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas) will worsen the conditions for Mytilus and Ostrea stocks in Sweden.

In this project, data from historical (1970s onwards) surveys was compiled with the aim of evaluating whether analysis of temporal changes in bivalve populations was possible. A review of historical data from Bohuslän did not generate any time series that could contribute to an as-sessment of the population development of Mytilus and Ostrea.

In addition, the review showed that the survey methods used differed between studies and over time, and that there was a lack of a standardized definition of what is designated as a bivalve bed. Overall, this illustrates the need for continuity and standardized monitoring of bivalve beds, including a clear definition of what counts as a bivalve bed. This could support the development of time series to monitoring trends in the population development of the target species.

The compilation of the historical data was also combined with a threat analysis focusing on interactions with the invasive Pacific oyster, with mapping of current distribution patterns and monitoring to evaluate present day population development, as well as with an analysis of short-term changes in population distribution and/or densities. This information was combined in an analysis aimed to evaluate the current status of the Mytilus and Ostrea beds.

The threat analysis showed that, in the short term, the main threat to the Swedish bivalve populations is probably disease outbreaks and parasites due to the continued commercial importation of live shellfish. In a more long-term perspective, climate change and the increasing presence of environmental tox-ins may pose serious threats to shallow, coastal, environments. Even though the invasive Pacific oyster to a large extent has overlapping habitats and ecological functions with the native species, no signs of negative interactions with the native bivalves were observed in this project.

Monitor-ing of population development in selected bivalve beds showed a decrease in density of both Mytilus and Ostrea over the projects lifetime (2018-2021), a pattern that was also strengthened for Mytilus through the results of the re-survey of previously surveyed beds. For Ostrea, the re-survey of previously surveyed sites showed a more scattered pattern with an increase in the number of oysters in some beds while the number of oysters in other beds had decreased.

Overall, it was concluded that it is likely that a reduction in Mytilus occurred during the 1990s and has continued onwards, and that more information is required to determine both the extent and cause of the patterns observed.

Based on the results in this project, four main actions are recommended to improve the state of knowledge for both Mytilus and Ostrea. Firstly, species-specific definitions of what is regarded as a bivalve bed should be developed. The definition should include information on cover-age/density, size, patchiness, and presence of Pacific oysters. The definition should also be aligned with international frameworks and take field conditions into account.

Second, monitor-ing programs that record distribution and changes in demographic parameters (e.g., population density/recovery/biomass, recruitment, mortality, and growth) for both Mytilus and Ostrea should be established. Time series of data is the only thing that enables the analysis of population development and the identification of threats.

Thirdly, infrastructure and routines for storing inventory data and implementation in accordance with the FAIR principle are needed to ensure that historical data is not lost. A lot of data is lost when it is stored within specific projects and with individuals. As data is often collected within ongoing research projects, solutions for storage with a publication embargo for actors other than those who collected the data should be ex-plored.

Finally, continued knowledge building is required about both general and specific threats and possible measures that can reduce the threats. Examples of such activities are impact analy-sis of various risk factors and combinations of these, knowledge development about the effects of harvesting of wild Ostrea and establishment of activity-based management, and knowledge de-velopment regarding food competition and other interactions between Pacific oysters and our native bivalves.

För att uppfylla åtagandena i Parisavtalet krävs en mycket omfattande omställning av världens energi- och transportsystem. De klimatvänliga energiteknikerna – vindkraftverk, solceller och elfordonsbatterier – kommer att kräva mycket stora mängder av både basmetaller och sällsynta jordartsmetaller. Europeiska kommissionen ser vart tredje år över vilka ämnen som är av avgörande betydelse för den gröna omställningen. Gemensamt är att ämnena både är av stor ekonomisk betydelse och att EU:s tillgång till ämnena är begränsad eller sårbar. Den senaste listan från 2020 består av 27 enskilda ämnen och 3 ämnesgrupper (totalt 49 ämnen). Hållbar utvinning och återvinning av sekundära råmaterial är ett växande komplement till brytning av primära mineralresurser. Enligt Sveriges strategi för en cirkulär ekonomi ska primära råmaterial så långt det är möjligt ersättas av resurser som används effektivt i cirkulära flöden. Regeringen har därför gett SGU och Naturvårdsverket i uppdrag att arbeta för att öka möjligheterna till hållbar utvinning av mineral och metaller från sekundära flöden.

Den här studien syftar till att öka kunskapsunderlaget inom det uppdraget. Studien består av de tre delarna 1) kartläggning av sekundära flöden av kritiska råmaterial i den svenska teknosfären, 2) beskrivning av förutsättningar, möjligheter och utmaningar med olika typer av spårbarhetssystem för ökad cirkularitet samt 3) utveckling av en metod, inklusive beskrivning av datatillgång, inför kommande fördjupade eller kompletterande kartläggningar. Kartläggningen har avgränsats till de flöden där de studerade råmaterialen har passerat en användarfas innan de blir avfall och eventuellt går till återvinning. Avfall från gruvor och tillverkningsindustri ingår inte.En övergripande slutsats är att det saknas statistik för metallanvändning i Sverige. För kritiska råmaterial saknas dessutom tillförlitliga uppgifter på koncentrationer av kritiska råmaterial i produkter och uppgifterna är än bristfälligare för avfallsflödena. Den statistik som finns beskriver främst produktion, import och export av basmetallerna och avfall för olika produktkategorier. Det innebar att den ursprungliga arbetsgången med en inledande litteraturstudie följd av en statistikgenomgång för att sammanställa ett enhetligt underlag för flödesberäkningar inte kunde genomföras fullt ut. I praktiken har det varit nödvändigt att göra specifika antaganden och val av beräkningsmetoder för vart och ett av de ämnen som har kartlagts kvantitativt. 

Bivalve molluscs such as mussels (Mytilus edulis) and oysters (Ostrea edulis) are key species in coastal ecosystems, and contribute to increased biodiversity by creating habitats for other organ-isms and to several other important ecosystem services. In recent years, both Mytilus- and Os-trea-beds have been reported to be in decline in Europe, and there are strong indications of a similar situation also for Mytilus in Sweden.

For Ostrea, there is a general lack of knowledge about population sizes, which makes assessments of population development problematic. Conservation measures such as stock enhancement and restoration are therefore increasing as biodiversity is lost, and there is a growing interest in restoring habitats created by mussels and oysters in many parts of the world.

The threat analysis carried out by OSPAR for Mytilus- and Ostrea-beds in Europe indicates that the primary cause of loss of bivalves in Europe is overexploitation and habitat loss, as well as disease outbreaks caused by pathogens. The Swedish bivalve populations, however, are more or less spared from these impact factors. Nevertheless, other factors can also affect population de-velopment. For example, there is concern among management authorities that the invasive Pacific oyster may impact the populations of Mytilus and Ostrea in Sweden negatively.

All in all, there are good reasons to explore the possible alternatives for supporting the development of the Mytilus- and Ostrea-populations, and also methods that could be used if the Pacific oyster prove to impact the native bivalve populations negatively. The purpose of this project was therefore to produce a knowledge base for the establishment of management models for the pro-tection of Sweden's populations of Mytilus and Ostrea. Part of this work include knowledge building, both theoretical and practical, about possible restoration measures of bivalve beds, e.g. removal of Pacific oysters or stock enhancement.

To summarise, a number of performed activities are discussed in this report, including a removal experiment in which Pacific oysters were removed from both Mytilus- and Ostrea-beds, a stock enhancement experiment with Ostrea in which juveniles of Ostrea were placed on different sites, and several different studies on stock enhancement of Mytilus, including studies of biological conditions and methodology for population enhancement.

The removal experiments demonstrated that it was possible to clear Pacific oysters from bivalve beds but that this is time consuming and complicated, especially in Mytilus beds. In terms of numbers of oysters the effect of the removal was short-lived. Already one year after the removal, the number of Pacific oysters was equal, or higher, to the number before the experiment. In terms of biomass, however, many of the cleared sites did not show complete recovery och the biomass of the invasive species. How long the recolonization time was before the original biomass was re-established is unknown, but calculations indicate that this time is longer than for the abundance of oysters. Better technologies must be developed for more resource-efficient efforts if this type of activity is to be carried out regularly. Additionally, ways to utilize the harvested biomass of Pacific oysters must be established.

The stock enhancement experiments also showed that it was possible to re-establish bivalve beds on a pilot scale. Even in sites with good conditions, however, the target species will decrease after relaying. In the experiments performed, the survival of Ostrea (about 30-50 mm in length when re-laid) on the best sites was only about 16% after 2 years, and for Mytilus the cover of mussels (a mixture of large and small mussels) decreased by almost 50% in one year and the survival was about 20% after this period of time. In general, predation was observed to be a problem for both species. Small and medium-sized Mytilus were greatly affected by eider duck, while shore crabs caused high mortality for Ostrea. Site-specific conditions were also of great importance for the success of the experiments.

Examples of factors discussed in this report are, in addition to the presence of predators, also ice-cover, substrate, the possibility of moving in organisms for resto-ration experiments/activities, depth and exposure. It is obvious that much can be gained from solid preparatory work before stock enhancement activities are initiated. The experiences from the project also illustrate the importance of protection against exploitation of the restored populations and a good relationship with authorities and landowners.

A unique activity in the project that, to our knowledge, has not been tested before is the use of residual mussels from commercial mussel production for stock enhancement of Mytilus. By using waste mussels, increased circularity and improved resource utilization in aquaculture produc-tion can be achieved, with both ecological and economic gains as important natural environments are recreated and costs for waste management from production is reduced for the aquaculture companies.

However, it remains to be explored how extensive this type of activity can be as the goal in mussel farming is, of course, to produce a product without fouling.

In addition, the regulatory conditions for this type of use must be established.Finally, the report discusses a number of development needs that should be studied further be-fore future stock enhancement experiments. Among these aspects, monitoring of ongoing activi-ties and success rate of restoration should be implemented, guidelines for site selection should be established, optimized techniques for restoration adapted to local conditions should be devel-oped, and the ecosystem services that the bivalve beds can support should be documented in future work.

An important part of this is to learn from existing knowledge but also to put this knowledge into a local context with the goal of identifying important knowledge gaps for context relevant activities. Combined, these activities can be a first step towards establishing a manual for the restoration of mussels and oysters in Sweden.

Oil spills, the most frequent environmental incidents in Sweden, have decreased in recent years but still pose risks to drinking water and aquatic ecosystems, with about 600 cases registered annually by the Swedish Fire Protection Association. Yet, detailed information about modern fuels and their environmental and human health impacts remains scarce. Hence, this study focuses on enhancing the understanding of the environmental impact of common fuels.This study collected thirty fuel samples of different types: petrol, diesel, fuel oil, and marine gas oil. A selected number of substances in the fuels and the water-soluble phase were analysed using GC-MS.

A crucial step in the analytical method in this project, since the focus was on the effect on sub-surface aquatic life and drinking water production, was to form a stable water-accommodated fraction (WAF) where non-dissolved fuel elements were separated from the water. Since odour properties were of interest, the mixing was extensive, with limited space allowed for gases, meaning that more volatile organic carbons (VOC:s) would be in solution. The chemical analysis focused on identifying and quantifying 50 substances, including aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, ethers, and esters, plus 17 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH:s) for eight of the samples. These substances were chosen for their significance in interpreting results related to odour and to illustrate the proportion of light and heavy substances in the fuels.Twelve of the thirty fuel samples were selected for odour threshold testing, where a dilution series from the WAF was used to evaluate the intensity of odours at different concentrations. Six samples were chosen for ecotoxicological assessments on crustaceans, algae, and bacteria, offering a comprehensive understanding of the ecotoxicity of the fuel-water mixtures. Four samples were used in tailor-made evaporation experiments to study how volatile fuel components evaporate from the water surface under different temperatures and ethanol concentrations.For odour, three fuels were notably distinguished, namely the fuels containing higher concentrations of ether: 98 Octane petrol and E85 fuel.

While there was significant variability in odour thresholds among different panel members, the concentration of MTBE (Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether) in the fuel-water mixtures was generally identified as a precise predictor of odour. Conversely, the lack of ether in diesel fuels made them significantly less prone to cause odour in the WAF.Generally, petrol-specific substances dissolve more readily in water than those in diesel, which only marginally ended up in the water-accommodated fraction. However, ethanol in petrol and RME (rapeseed methyl ester) in diesel favoured the dissolution of hydrocarbons into water. For ether, which is of utmost importance for odour, a strong correlation was observed between the concentration of ether in water and its content in the fuel. Therefore, it is possible to predict the ether concentration in the WAF solely from ether concentration in the fuel, meaning that ethanol did not significantly increase ether solubility.In the case of a fuel spill into surface water, volatile substances like ether or toluene evaporate into the air, reducing the water concentration. The experimental conditions in this study do not reflect actual real-world conditions. The evaporation experiments showed that the evaporation of ether can be predicted based on the WAF ether concentration, water temperature, and ethanol content. It was found that cold water (5 °C) conditions reduce the evaporation rate of ether to almost negligible levels.The ecotoxicological tests showed reproduction inhibitions in crustaceans across all fuel samples. However, the inhibiting effect from HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil) was only marginally greater than that of the control. Fuel oil and some petrol fuels had detrimental effects on the algae growth, while diesel did not.

The decrease of luminescence of bacteria, an indicator of toxicity, exhibited a similar trend; petrol fuels inhibited luminescence more than diesel. None of the fuels disturbed activated sludge to the extent that respiration was inhibited at toxic levels. This shows that an active sludge is more robust than single organisms, probably due to the diverse bacteria flora.For a drinking water producer, fuels containing water-soluble ethers, such as E85 and 98 Octane petrol, are the most prominent risk. If a spill occurs in the drinking water supply, the production disturbance likelihood depends on the dilution prerequisites below the odour threshold of 1.5-4 µg/L. The study also shows that modern diesel has become an issue of marginal concern for surface water-based raw water sources due to very low solubility and regulations that have reduced the amounts of toxic substances in the products.For freshwater ecosystems, water-soluble petrol-associated substances and hydrophobic toxic substances in fuel oil or EU diesel have the most severe effects during a spill. However, MK1 and HVO diesel only marginally affected the test organisms compared to the control, which represents unaffected organisms.

Fuel spills pose significant environmental risks, particularly to drinking water sources and aquatic ecosystems. Thecomposition of fuels has changed over the decades to reduce fossil greenhouse gas emissions. In Sweden, althoughthe number of spill incidents has declined, with around 600 cases reported annually, there remains limitedknowledge on the environmental and health impacts of modern fuels.

This study aimed to address this gap throughcomprehensive chemical analysis and ecotoxicological assessments of 31 fuel samples, including petrol, diesel, fueloil, and marine gas oil. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), we determined 53 substances,including aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, ethers, esters, and 17 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Akey focus was on forming a stable water-accommodated fraction (WAF) to isolate non-dissolved fuel elementsfrom water, which is crucial for assessing subsurface aquatic life and drinking water production impacts. Resultsindicated significant differences in fuel odor profiles, with ethers enhancing odor intensity. Petrol componentsshowed higher water solubility than diesel, partly due to ethanol. Ecotoxicological tests revealed varying toxicityacross fuels, with petrol showing the highest toxicity to aquatic organisms, although activated sludge exhibitedresilience.

Fuels containing water-soluble ethers posed the highest risks to drinking water, while modern diesel wasof lower concern due to its low solubility and toxicity. In freshwater ecosystems, petrol and hydrophobic toxins infuel oil had severe effects during spills. Overall, this study offers critical insights into the environmental impact of common fuels, supporting improved risk assessment and management strategies for spill mitigation and water resource protection.

The composition of vehicle fuels has changed since 2018 due to the reduction obligation, which requires that an increasing proportion of bio-based content is mixed into fossil fuels. Since properties such as odour and ecotoxicity are complex and depend on the composition of substances' mixtures, information based on older studies is not applicable. Odour properties are essential for drinking water producers, and ecotoxicity is vital for prioritising remediation efforts in the event of spillage.

The objectives of this study have therefore been to 1) quantify the composition of standard diesel and petrol fuels sold in Sweden, 2) quantify odour thresholds for these fuels in drinking water, 3) investigate the ecotoxicity from HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil) and diesel with RME additive (rapeseed methyl ester), and 4) investigate whether it is possible to predict odour in water based on concentrations in a fuel/water mixture.In the study, a total of eight fuels were tested, of which four were diesel fuels (HVO 100, MK1 diesel with HVO, MK1 diesel with RME and MK1 diesel) and four contained petrol/ethanol to varying degrees (E85, E05, E10 with bio-petrol and E10). HVO 100 and MK1 diesel with RME were used for ecotox tests on alga, bacteria, and crustaceans, as well as for degradation tests.Petrol/ethanol fuels were more efficiently dissolved in water than diesel fuels. This is because they contain a higher proportion of more water-soluble substances, such as ethers and light aromatic compounds, and the mixture of ethanol in the fuels. The E85 fuel resulted in the highest concentrations of hydrocarbons in the water mixture, even though the proportion of petrol is only 15%. A similar effect on solubility could be observed for RME in diesel fuels, although not to the same extent.The amounts of dissolved ether determined the odour properties of fuels in water.

The 98 octane E05 fuel had the highest ether concentration in the fuel product, while the ether content of E85 was most effectively dissolved in water due to the high ethanol content. The odour thresholds were at 0.0017% in a water/fuel mixture for the E05 fuel and 0.0042% for E85. The ethers so dominated the odour that the methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) concentration could accurately predict the smell in an aqueous solution.Overall, the ecotoxicological tests showed mild or no effect from the fuels on the tested organisms. The exception was for the reproduction of crustaceans that were disturbed by MK1 diesel with RME. The low solubility of the two tested diesel fuels in water resulted in too low concentrations of hydrocarbons in the fuel/water mixture for valid degradation tests. 

Många svenska kommunala reningsverk utreder möjligheterna att förbättra avskiljningen av läkemedelsrester i avloppsvattnet. I detta projekt har ett fiskförsök utförts där öring från lokala fiskbestånd exponerats för avloppsvatten från Fors reningsverk i Haninge kommun. Avloppsvatten har i en pilotanläggning renats med olika tekniker . Den fysiologiska responsen hos fisken efter en månads exponering i akvarier för de alternativt behandlade avloppsvattnen har mätts med olika biomarkörer. Parallellt har även förekomsten av läkemedelsubstanser och östrogena hormoner i primärrecipienten Vitsån kartlagts.

Användningen av läkemedel och olika kemikalier är utbredd i samhället. Att kommunala reningsverk bidrar med utsläpp av dessa till vattenmiljön är väl känt. Kunskapen om vilka eventuella effekter detta leder till för akvatiska organismer i reningsverkens recipienter är däremot knapphändig. Denna rapport syftar till att öka kunskapsläget om sådana effekter. Biologiska tester på avloppsvatten och undersökningar av miljösituationen i recipienten har genomförts i anslutning till Rimbo reningsverk i Norrtälje kommun. 

En metodik för fiskundersökningar vid pappers-och massaindustrier testades även utan för ett metallsmältverk, Rönnskärsverken. Till metoden gjordes två tillägg. Det ena, att undersöka även något äldre fisk än vad som gjordes vid skogsindustrierna. Detta för att bättre kunna utvärdera reproduktionsförmågan. Det andra tillägget, att undersöka polybromerade flamskyddsmedel (PBDE), i och med att metallhaltigt elektronikskrot som kan innehålla PBDE återvinns vid Rönnskärsverken.

Metoden, med de två tilläggen, fungerade väl. Bedömningen av fiskens hälsostatus kunde göras, även för reproduktionsförmågan, på tillräckligt stora stickprov. Utvärderingen av de persistenta organiska föreningarna (dioxiner, PCB, Hexaklorbensen, DDT och PBDE) visade på tydliga föroreningsgradienter, med generellt avklingande halter nedströms recipienten och i referensområdena. Därmed framkom att metodiken kan användas för att bilda en uppfattning om storleken av ett eventuellt påverkansområde.

Utvärderingen av hälsostatus visade inte på nedsatt hälsotillstånd i fisken fångad vid recipientlokalerna. Däremot var halten av kvicksilver, bly och de organiska föreningar som undersöktes högre i fisken från recipientlokalerna jämfört med den från referenslokalerna.

Frågan om hur fiberrika sediment utanför pappers- och massaindustrier ska hanteras har varit fokus för mycket forskning det senaste decenniet. I syfte att bilda sig en uppfattning om fibersedimentens påverkan på omgivande ekologi har flertalet fiskundersökningar genomförts i IVLs regi sedan 2017. Under 2021 genomfördes sådana undersökningar vid fyra industrier längs norrlandskusten med en något modifierad metod, även inkluderande insamling av fisk av större storlek samt även vid två referensområden i stället för ett. Huvudtemat i denna rapport är hur de förändringarna fallit ut, men även andra aspekter, däribland tidstrender gällande fiskhälsa och föroreringshalter i fisk redovisas. Resultaten var positiva, eftersom de genomförda förändringarna bidrog till att tydligare och mer nyanserade tolkningar av resultaten kunde göras.  

Uppmärksamheten kring förekomst av per- och polyfluorerade alkylsubstanser (PFAS) i miljön har ökat under senare år, och under 2020 genomdrevs en sänkning av det hälsobaserade riktvärdet (tolerabelt intag) för denna ämnesgrupp inom EU.

I denna rapport redovisas mätningar av PFAS, men också kvicksilver, PCB, ftalater och organofosfater i abborre, gös och signalkräfta från den del av Mälaren som tillhör Järfälla kommun.

Halterna underskred gränsvärdena för saluföring, men det rekommenderas att abborre och gös konsumeras högst en gång i månaden och signalkräfta högst en gång i veckan, eftersom det hälsobaserade riktvärdet för PFAS annars riskerar överskridas.

I denna rapport redovisas hur halter av kvicksilver, kadmium och bly i svensk fisk och skaldjur förhåller sig till de saluföringsgränsvärden som finns inom EU. De arter som undersökts är abborre, gädda, gös, lake, sill/strömming, havskräfta, hummer och signalkräfta. De vattenområden som i huvudsak studerats är sådana med relevans för det svenska yrkesfisket. Resultaten visar på att det är för kvicksilver som saluföringsgränsvärdet riskerar överskridas, inte bly och kadmium. Risken för överskridande av gränsvärdet för kvicksilver gäller dock inte alla arter och vattenområden. Kvicksilverhalter omkring gränsvärdet visade sig framför allt förekomma i fisk från Norra Vänern och Gävlebukten, medan fisken från de flesta andra områden hade halter med god marginal till gränsvärdet. I sill/strömming var kvicksilverhalterna låga längs hela Sveriges kuststräcka. Fortsatta studier rekommenderas riktas mot fisk från Västerhavet i och med att underlaget för bedömning är begränsat därifrån. Regelbunden uppföljning av kvicksilverhalter i fisk från Norra Vänern och Gävlebukten rekommenderas också.