Pollution and Contamination

Humanity is facing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, creating a complex web of challenges that must be addressed in a coordinated manner. Among these, pollution follows the principle of double materiality: it affects both society and ecosystems, and poses growing risks to financial institutions. However, banks can play a powerful role in reversing this trend by supporting clients that adopt resource-efficient and low-pollution practices.

Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution – the elements of the triple planetary crisis – are inextricably connected. Yet, policies to address them have generally not taken account of their interlinkages.

This OECD Environmental Outlook examines in detail the interlocking trends and drivers of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, projects how they will evolve through mid-century, and examines policy synergies and trade-offs. It also provides a roadmap to help governments tackle these challenges in a more integrated manner. 

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals widely used in industry and consumer products, and now detected across environmental media and human populations. This study assesses the societal costs of PFAS pollution in the European Economic Area (EEA) under four hypothetical exposure scenarios: 1) business as usual (BAU) for emissions; 2) full compliance with the Drinking Water Directive (DWD); 3) full compliance with Environmental Quality Standards (EQS); and 4) a total ban on PFAS production and use.

In this study, mechanochemical lindane removal from river sediment in Serbia’s Pannonian Plain’s Tamiš River and forest soil from Golija National Park was investigated. For comparison, artificial soils were used, where SSB simulated clay soil and SSS simulated sandy soil. Real and synthetic samples were subjected to physical processing in a high-energy planetary ball mill under atmospheric pressure. The effect of mechanochemical treatment on lindane removal was explored by varying the milling speed (150–350 rpm) at a constant milling time and lindane concentration (0.15–0.35 mg/L).

             Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of synthetic compounds widely used for their dual hydrophobic and lipophobic properties. They comprise more than 4700 CAS-registered compounds according to the OECD and have been used intentionally in nonstick, grease-and waterproof, and stain-resistant consumer products, particularly food packaging materials. PFAS are inherently persistent, and many are mobile, bio-accumulative, and toxicity to a wide array of organisms, making them emerging contaminants of concern.