COHIBA Project releases newsletter on control of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea

Helsinki, 20 October (HELCOM Information Service) – COHIBA, the international project on the control of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea, has released its first newsletter. This issue of “COHIBA News” provides an overview of the activities within the project which aims to identify the most significant sources of hazardous substances of specific concern for the Baltic Sea and develop cost-effective solutions to reduce their discharges.

The newsletter also features an article on the innovative Whole Effluent Assessment approach to be tested in the Baltic Sea countries within the project. This new approach aims to determine whether effluents that are discharged into the Baltic Sea are harmful to aquatic organisms and to develop ecotoxicity-based limit values for effluents that are discharged into the sea. Additionally, this issue of COHIBA News provides information on how to increase awareness among the public, industries and authorities on the problems related to hazardous substance in Baltic Sea countries.

The overall objective of the COHIBA Project is to support the implementation of the overarching HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to radically reduce pollution to the Baltic Sea and restore its good ecological status by 2021. As part of this plan, the coastal countries have committed themselves to reduce pollution by hazardous substances with an overall objective to achieve a Baltic Sea where marine life is undisturbed by hazardous substances. The Baltic Sea Action Plan focuses on 11 hazardous substances and substance groups of specific concern to the Baltic Sea.

The COHIBA Project will last for three years (2009-2012). It’s co-financed by the European Union within the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013. It involves 22 partners from 8 Baltic Sea countries, and is led by the Finnish Environment Institute SYKE. HELCOM is one of the Project Partners of COHIBA responsible for Information and Communication activities.

Follow-up:

First issue of COHIBA News http://www.cohiba-project.net/publications/en_GB/publications/ 

Web site of the COHIBA Project www.cohiba-project.net

Note to Editors:

The Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM, works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution through intergovernmental co-operation between the countries bordering the sea - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and also the European Community. 

HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," more usually known as the Helsinki Convention.

For more information, please contact:

Ulla Ahonen

Communication Officer, COHIBA project