The European Commission adopted, on 22 September, a draft for a new EU directive aimed at protecting underground water from pollution. The directive will introduce monitoring requirements and quality objectives for member states, which shall be obliged to control the quality of their water and its levels of pollution. Such controls shall be conducted in a harmonious way within the Union, respecting the particular geographical characteristics of each country. The need to protect such underground water resources arises from the recognition that they represent over 97% of non-marine water supplies available on earth. As for atmospheric pollution in closed environments, according to the latest studies of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), also published by the European Commission on 22 September, it is potentially twice as damaging for human health as pollution in the open air. Among the hundreds of elements ascertained in the air in closed environments, some have been classified as toxic, mutagenic or cancerogenous. Due to these factors 20% of Europeans suffer from asthma. To rectify this situation the Commission intends to create a network of European scientists expert in the sector to identify the priorities and evaluate the needs for a concerted European action plan.
