No C 78/2 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities 3.4.76 
SECOND  ENVIRONMENTAL  RESEARCH  PROGRAMME 
(1976  to 1980) 
Communication  of the  Commission  concerning  a Research  and  Development 
Programme  of the  European  Economic  Community  in the  Field  of Environmental 
Protection  decided  on 15 March  1976  by the Council  of the  European  Communities 
Call for tenders 
The Commission  of the  European  Communities  is 
carrying  out  an  environmental  research  and 
development  programme  for  a five-year  period 
starting  in 1976  and  ending  on 31 December  1980. 
A total  amount  of 16 million  units  of account  are 
allocated  to this  programme  (the  unit  of account  is 
defined  in Article  10 of the  Financial  Regulation  of 
25 April  1973  applicable  to the general  budget  of the 
European  Communities). 
The basic  motivation  of the second  programme,  as of 
the first,  is to provide  for  the  acquisition  of the 
scientific  and  technical  knowledge  necessary  to the 
execution  of the Action  Programme  of the European 
Communities  for the Environment  (OJ  No C 112  of 
20 December  1973)  and  to promote  the coordination 
of environmental  research  carried  out  in member 
countries. 
The programme  is to be implemented  in two  ways: 
(a) 'common'  actions,  funded  partly  on  the 
Community  budget  by  means  of shared-cost 
contracts;  and 
(b) 'concerted'  actions,  financed  from  national 
sources,  except  for  the  cost  of coordination 
covered  by the  Community  budget,  but  carried 
out according  to a programme  agreed  and 
managed  jointly. 
The decision  to use  one  or the other  procedure  will 
be determined,  on  an  ad  hoc  basis,  by  such 
considerations  as the  type  of research  work,  its 
possible  applications,  the  interest  of the  various 
Member  States. 
Since  the programme  will  be subject  to a review  in 
1978  to  be  adapted  to  evolving  research 
requirements,  it will  be executed  in two  phases. The present  call  for  tenders  is concerned  with  the 
first phase  of the  programme,  which  will  comprise 
four research  areas: 
Research  area  1: 
research  aimed  at the  establishment  of criteria,  i.e., 
exposure-effect  relationships  for  pollutants  and 
environmental  chemicals; 
Research  area  2: 
research  and  development  on  environmental 
information  management,  essentially  on environmen-
tal chemicals  (ECDIN  project); 
Research  area  3: 
research  and  development  on  the  reduction  and 
prevention  of pollution  and  nuisances  (including 
application  of 'clean'  technologies); 
Research  area  4: 
research  and  development  concerning  the protection 
of the natural  environment. 
The major  part  of the Community  funds  available  for 
the common  action  will  go to research  area  1. 
The detailed  contents  of the  programme  is given  in 
the Annex. 
The Commission  wishes  to receive  proposals  for 
participation  in this  R&D  programme  by means  of 
shared-cost  contracts  (generally  on  a 50  - 50 % 
basis).  The  proposals  may  be submitted  by any 
natural  or legal  person,  whether  existing  under  public 
or private  law,  institution  or association  of persons 
within  the territory  of a Member  State.  They  should 
include  detailed  information  on the applicant  and  on 
the nature  and  cost  of the  research  he proposes  to 
carry  out. 
Proposals  for  the  first  phase  of the  programme 
should  be submitted  prior  to 30 June  1976.  Initial 
contracts  shall  cover  a period  not  exceeding  three 
years;  they  may  be renewed. 
3.4.76 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities No C 78/3 
The proposals  will  be treated  confidentially. 
Forms  for the presentation  of the  proposals  as well  as 
any further  information,  including  any  detail  on 
single  topics,  may  be obtained  from: 
Commission  of the  European  Communities, Directorate-General  XII,  Research,  Science  and 
Education, 
Environmental  Research  Programme, 
200 rue  de la Loi, 
1049  Brussels,  Belgium. 
ANNEX 
DETAILED  CONTENTS  OF THE  PROGRAMME 
The topics  and  subtopics  included  in each  research  area  are enumerated  hereafter. 
1. RESEARCH  AREA  1 
Research  aimed  at the  establishment  of criteria  (exposure  — effect  relationships)  for 
pollutants  and  environmental  chemicals 
The substances  to be studied  will  be those  which  are  given  priority  in the  Action 
Programme  of the  European  Communities  for  the  Environment.  Data  on  their 
identification  and  measurement,  fate  in the  environment  and  effects  will  be used  to 
establish  or improve  the  exposure-effects  relationships  and,  consequently,  to prepare 
measures  at Community  level  to protect  the  population  health  as well  as the 
environment. 
1.1. Heavy  metals 
The research  will  be devoted  mainly  to the elements  considered  of high  priority  in the 
Action  Programme  of the European  Communities  for the Environment  (e.g.,  Pb, Cd,  Hg, 
Cr...): 
1.1.1.  methodology  of monitoring  metal  contamination  in the marine  environment; 
1.1.2.  fate  and  transformations  in the environment,  with  emphasis  on physico-chemical  state, 
sediment-water  distribution  and  models,  or descriptive  parameters,  of transport  in water; 
1.1.3.  experimental  research  on direct  and  indirect  health  effects  concerning  aspects  such  as 
metabolism,  late  and  chronic  manifestations  and  synergistic  effects  of heavy  metals; 
1.1.4.  application  of screening  tests  for late  and  chronic  effects  to a series  of heavy  metals; 
1.1.5.  ecological  effects  in continental  and  marine  environments,  including  base-line  studies  and 
methodological  aspects. 
1.2. Organic  micropollutants: 
1.2.1.  fate  of organo-chlorine  and  organo-fluorine  compounds  in the environment; 
1.2.2.  experimental  research  on metabolism  and  effects  in mammalian  systems  in order  to 
assess  risks  to human  health  derived  from  overall  exposure  to micropollutants; 
1.2.3.  ecological  effects  in terrestrial,  freshwater  and  marine  environments; 
1.2.4.  development  of screening  methodology  to assess  late  and  chronic  effects  (in particular 
carcinogenicity,  mutagenicity,  teratogenicity)  (see  also  1.4); 
NB. Research  on  the  analysis  of organic  micropollutants  in water  and  other 
environmental  compartments  will  be the  subject  of a concerted  action  as a 
follow-up  of COST  Project  64b. 
No C 78/4 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities 3. 4. 76 
1.3. Asbestos  and  other  fibrous  materials: 
1.3.1.  improvement  of detection  in air,  water  and  biological  material  by physico-chemical  and 
microscopic  methods; 
1.3.2.  epidemiological  surveys  on health  effects  in the general  population; 
1.3.3.  experimental  research  on effects  with  emphasis  on interaction  with  other  air pollutants. 
1.4. New  chemicals 
A great  effort  must  be devoted  to the problem  of adequate  testing  of new  chemicals  prior 
to their  introduction  on the market  considering  their  potential  toxicity  (and  that  of their 
metabolites  and  transformation  compounds)  to both  man  and  the environment;  emphasis 
will be placed  on the  methodology  of screening  tests  for  chronic  and  late  effects  on 
human  health  and  for effects  on the biosphere  (cf. also  1.2.4,  1.5.4,  1.8.3). 
1.5. Air  quality 
Pollutants  to be considered  are  mainly  sulphur  compounds,  particulate  matter,  nitrogen 
oxides  and  photochemical  oxidants;  emphasis  is to be placed  on the overall  response  of 
organisms  to polluted  air: 
1.5.1.  testing  and  application  of remote  sensing  methods,  developed  in the first  programme,  for 
the detection  and  measurement  of air  pollutants  by means  of joint  measurement 
campaigns  in sites  of particular  interest; 
1.5.2.  improvement  of dispersion  models  for  air pollutants,  in close  connection  with  field 
campaigns  mentioned  in 1.5.1; 
1.5.3.  epidemiological  surveys:  on the  basis  of the  results  from  the  cross-sectional  study  on 
school-children  executed  in the  Community  in the  framework  of the  first  programme, 
follow-up  with  cross-sectional  or longitudinal  surveys;  other  epidemiological  surveys  may 
be undertaken  especially  with  regard  to nitrogen  oxides;  participation  to joint 
programmes  implies  the acceptance  of uniform  experimental  protocols; 
1.5.4.  experimental  research  on effects  of air pollutants  in mammalian  systems,  with  emphasis 
on the overall  response  to various  pollutants; 
1.5.5.  field  and  experimental  research  on effects  on vegetation; 
NB. Research  on the physico-chemical  transformations  of atmospheric  pollutants  will  be 
the subject  of a concerted  action  as a follow-up  of COST  Project  61a. 
1.6. Water  quality 
Special  attention  is focused  on possible  health  effects  of normal  and  recycled  drinking 
water,  to be studied  through  the epidemiological  and  the experimental  approaches: 
1.6.1.  epidemiological  surveys  on the relationships  between  water  quality  and  health  parameters 
(e.g.,  mortality,  cardiovascular  diseases);  participation  to joint  programmes  implies  the 
acceptance  of uniform  experimental  protocols; 
1.6.2.  experimental  research  on laboratory  animals  and  isolated  biological  systems  concerning 
possible  effects  of recycled  drinking  water,  and  possible  consequences  of treatment 
methods; 
1.6.3.  microbiological  pollution  of surface  waters:  quantitative  determination  of viruses  in 
water,  fate  of sewage  bacteria,  fungi  and  viruses  released  in fresh  and  saltwater; 
ecological  consequences  of microbiological  pollution; 
1.6.4.  improvement  of characterization  of water  quality  in relation  to the implementation  of the 
Council  Directive  concerning  the  quality  required  for  surface  water  intended  for  the 
3.4.76 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities No C 78/5 
abstraction  of drinking  water  in the  Member  States,  adopted  on 16 June  1975  (OJ 
No L 194  of 25 July  1975)  (total  organic  carbon,  chemical  oxygen  demand,  total  extract-
ive chlorine,  cyanides,  dissolved  and  emulsified  hydrocarhons,  including  solvants, 
cholinesterase  inhibiting  compounds,  taste  assessment). 
1.7. Waste  heat: 
1.7.1.  ecological  and  microclimatic  effects  of heat  releases  in the  freshwater  and  marine 
environments; 
1.7.2.  ecological  and  microclimatic  consequences  of heat  release  to atmosphere  from  cooling 
towers. 
1.8. Marine  pollution 
Research  in this  area  is aimed  at the  improvement  of monitoring  methodology  and 
providing  better  knowledge  of the effects  of pollutants  in the marine  environment: 
1.8.1.  development  of methodology  for monitoring  sea water  quality  along  the coasts  and  in 
the estuaries  of the Community,  including: 
(a) modelling  of pollutant  transport; 
(b) the  use of remote  sensing  techniques; 
(c) the  technical  development  of a system  for the surveillance  of oil pollution; 
1.8.2.  R 8c D in chemical  and  biological  sensors  for pollution  monitoring; 
1.8.3.  research  in situ  and  under  controlled  conditions  on the  effects  of pollutants  on marine 
life including  base-line  studies  and  the identification  and  use of bio-indicators; 
NB. Some  of these  subjects  have  been  mentioned  above;  see  points  1.1.1,  1.1.2,  1.1.5, 
1.2.3,  1.4,  1.7.1. 
1.9. Noise  pollution 
The setting  of criteria  for noise  requires  additional  information  which  could  be obtained 
from  the following  research: 
1.9.1.  preliminary  phase  for an epidemiological  survey  on the effects  of noise  consisting  in an 
experimental  study  on sleep  disturbances  and  psychological  performances  on subjects  at 
home  in noisy  areas,  e.g.,  near  airports  or zones  of heavy  motor  and  rail  traffic  (detailed 
experimental  protocol  available  on request); 
1.9.2.  study  of health  effects  of mechanical  vibrations  and  very  low  frequency  sounds; 
1.9.3.  comparison  of the effects  of very  brief  noise  emission  with  noises  of longer  duration  for 
the same  total  sound  energy. 
2. RESEARCH  AREA  2 
R & D in environmental  information  management 
Work  will  be concentrated  on the pilot  project  of data  bank  on environmental  chemicals 
already  included  in the first  programme  (Environmental  Chemicals  Data  and  Information 
Network,  ECDIN).  A limited  number  of special  projects  concerning  data  collection  and 
software  development  will  be implemented  to complete  this  pilot  phase.  It is advisable  to 
consult  the Commission  services  prior  to the submission  of research  proposals. 
No C 78/6 Official  Journal  of the  European  Communities 3. 4. 76 
3. RESEARCH  AREA  3 
R & D on the reduction  and  prevention  of pollutions  and  nuisances  (including  'clean' 
technologies) 
Work  in this  area  should  be undertaken  mainly  in the  form  of concerted  actions. 
However  some  basic  and  applied  research  projects  may  be the object  of common  actions 
if they  are of direct  interest  to public  authorities. 
3.1. Water  pollution  abatement 
Advanced  biological  and  physico-chemical  treatment  of waste  water  and  other 
non-potable  waters: 
technico-economic  evaluations  and  oriented  basic  research  on adsorption,  coagulation, 
sedimentation,  flotation,  hyperfiltration,  ultrafiltration,  membrane  fouling,  etc.. 
attention  should  be given  to possible  unfavourable  effects  of treatment  (e.g.,  chlorination) 
and ways  to prevent  them;  special  problems  (fluctuating  urban  and  industrial  organic 
load)  should  be considered  as well. 
NB. Research  on sludge  processing  will  be the  subject  of a concerted  action  as a 
follow-up  of COST  Project  68. 
3.2. Waste  disposal:  environmental  implications: 
— health  and  ecological  consequences  of waste  disposal:  soil  and  water  contamination  in 
relation  with  type  of waste,  soil properties,  plant  cover,  etc..., 
— problems  connected  with  the use of wastes  in agriculture. 
4. RESEARCH  AREA  4 
R&D  concerning  the protection  of the natural  environment 
4.1. oriented  basic  research  on ecosystems  ecology  and  biogeochemical  cycles  in view  of: 
— predicting  the effects  of environmental  disturbances  caused  by human  activities,  and 
— managing  semi-natural  vegetation  for conservation  and  recreation; 
4.2. reclamation  of derelict  land:  mine  waste  tips,  worked-over  bogs; 
4.3. application  of remote  sensing  techniques  for the study  of environmental  disturbances; 
4.4. ecological  consequences  of land  use planning:  impact  on the environment  of the building 
of motorways,  industrial  installations,  high-density  residential  areas; 
4.5. ecological  consequences  of modern  agricultural  practices  (in  coordination  with  the 
Agricultural  Research  Programme)  e.g.,  effects  on water  quality.