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Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). It is the third most frequently reported priority substance causing failure of good chemical status in European waters in 2021. BaP is formed from the incomplete combustion of organic material, such as coal, oil and wood, and in humans can cause cancer. In this page we provide maps giving an overview of concentrations of BaP in rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters and groundwater, based on voluntarily reported Waterbase - Water Quality (WISE6)  data.

What we learnt from the Waterbase - Water Quality (WISE6) data reported by countries

45%

monitored sites in rivers and lakes

exceeded the quality standard

in 2023

0%

monitored sites in groundwater bodies

exceeded the quality standard

in 2023

All

monitored sites in coastal waters

are unquantified

in 2023

The map shows monitoring sites where BaP concentrations are compared with quality standard for rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters. Sites with yearly average concentrations below Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) are shown in blue, not exceeding the threshold, while those with concentrations above the EQS are marked in red as exceeding. The EQS used for surface waters is 0.00017 µg/L as set under the Environmental Quality Standards Directive (2013/39). Monitoring sites shown in grey - unknown - are those where the concentration has been reported as below the limit of quantification but above the EQS.

The map shows monitoring sites where BaP concentrations are compared with the quality standard for groundwater. Sites with yearly average concentrations below the quality threshold are shown in green, not exceeding the threshold, while those with concentrations above the threshold are marked in orange, as exceeding.  As there is not a Europe-wide threshold for BaP in groundwater, the threshold used here is 0.01 µg/L, which is the most frequently-used threshold reported by countries (Groundwater methodology: threshold values for groundwater pollutants). Monitoring sites shown in grey - unknown - are those where the concentration has been reported as below the limit of quantification but above 0.01ug/l.