The german environmental specimen bank as a tool for the retrospective monitoring

The German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) provides a framework within which environmental specimens are systematically drawn from representative ecosystems in Germany and stored under conditions which will prevent the chemical decomposition over a period of decades. The routine sampling started in 1985. The German Environmental Specimen Bank is an excellent tool for the retrospective monitoring of pollutants in environmental samples. Concentration trends can be identified by analyses of appropriate biota samples from different levels of the trophic system. Even small temporal changes or slight regional differences of concentrations become obvious because standardized samples are analyzed. The monitoring data can be used as basis for the justification of political measures (for example, banning of priority pollutants) and, furthermore, allow the assessment of the results of political measures taken in the past.