Environment
The SGL has a unique infrastructure which can cover chemical, microbiological, ecotoxicological, virological and radiological aspects of monitoring and control pollution of water and the environment using a common approach.
In cooperation with other authorities it actively participates in the planning and implementation of monitoring programmes and research concerning the environment and it is active in various issues concerning the impact of the Environment to Health, especially children's health.
The three pillars of the approach are:
- Integration accross disciplines
Seven specialised laboratories provide a wide range of state-of-the-art services which are supported by target oriented research. The eight laboratories are:
- Environmental Water Contamination (Lab 06)
- Food and Environmental Radioactivity (Lab 09)
- Environmental Chemistry and Control of Effluents (Lab 10)
- Water, Drug and Environmental Microbiology (Lab 15)
- Toxic Chemicals in Materials and Human Biomonitoring (Lab 11)
Aims and Achievements
In the Environment sector the SGL aims to:
- Support the development and implementation of the enviromental policy and legislation of Cyprus, including chemical safety in workplaces, by providing reliable laboratory data.
- Contribute to the development of effective mechanisms for pollution prevention and long-term safety and sustainability of water resources through:
- the holistic investigation and evaluation of the present environmental quality, the identification of changes and trends and the forecasting of future developments
- the early identification of emerging pollution and related priorities for prevention
To achieve these targets the SGL has developed:
- Strong investigation capabilities to address point and diffuse sources of pollution as well as pollution originating from multiple sources. These capabilities are based on the integration of chemical, micriobiological and biological approaches
- Early warning system for accidental or emerging water pollution
- Holistic evaluation schemes based on integration of legal limits and scientifically sound quality criteria developed to address existing gaps in legislation
- Indicators to aggregate and transform analytical data into management oriented information
Range of Activities
The seven laboratories focus on water and effluents but the work covers almost all areas of environmental investigations. This includes monitoring, surveillance, pollution investigation, and target oriented research. Multipurpose-integrated programmes are designed and implemented in cooperation with other competent authorities, to fulfil both the requirements for compliance monitoring and the needs for early identification of emerging pollution. More specifically the laboratory activities include:
- Evaluation of the chemical and microbial characteristics and quality of water
- Detection of viruses in environmental samples and effluents
- Determination of organic/inorganic pollutants in surface, drinking, ground and sea water, in effluents, in soil, in sediments and sludges of effluent plants, in air emissions and in the workplace
- Toxicity evaluation of effluents, water, soils, sediments and other environmental samples and target chemicals
- Evaluation of the levels and profile of natural and technical radionuclides in Cyprus - creation of a data bank of the background levels in the environment
Target oriented research is done at national and at international level. It is primarily aimed at:
- identifying causes, sources of pollution and its effects
- development of early warning systems
- identifying priorities for monitoring and providing a scientific background for the improvement of policies
- evaluating combined toxic effects and genotoxicity of target chemicals
- developing quality criteria to fill gaps in legal limitations and create environmental indicators to facilitate the integration of data into the decision-making process
- developing integrated investigation schemes addressing both receiving water bodies and effluents, to secure safe and sustainable reuse of treated urban wastes
Multi-objective Monitoring and Early Warning Systems are available to cope with needs related to:
- The implementation of the Water Acquis
- The early identification and prompt response to emerging or accidental pollution
- The implementation of the legislation
- The provision of data for concrete information to decision-makers