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State of the environment report of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2012
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations - Veterinary Office BiH regularly monitors harmful chemicals in residues of veterinary pharmaceuticals, pesticides and contaminants in living animals and animal products (meat, milk, eggs, honey), and in animal feed. The Annual Residues Monitoring Plan is adopted in accordance with the Decision on Monitoring of Certain Substances in the Residue of Live Animals, and Animal Products (Official Gazette of BiH, Nos. 01/04, 40/09, and 44/11) and the Decision on Adopting the Monitoring Plan and Control of Residues for 2011 (Official Gazette of BiH, No.25/11). Different samples are examined depending on the chemical being measured. Usually, these are samples of urine, blood, muscles, kidney, liver or eggs. Inspectors take samples in the FBiH, the RS and the BD, which are then analyzed in authorized laboratories. In 2010, presence of different dangerous substances was tested in 1022 samples, out of which two were positive (two samples were positive for two different types of antibiotics). There are four main agencies for monitoring the state of surface waters in BiH, two in the FBiH and two in the RS. All agencies monitor water quality, but there is no systematic reporting at the state level (except for the EIONET, for which a National Focal Point has been established). Agencies use different reporting forms, so it is complicated to review the state of toxic pollutants in surface waters in BiH. Kemal Kapetanović Institute in Zenica monitors the content of heavy metals in air. It is unknown if there are reports on polluted air impact, especially air polluted with heavy metals, on human health and the environment. Different institutions, like the Federal Institute for Agropedology, the Federal Institute of Agriculture and the Agricultural Institute of the RS monitor contents of toxic soil pollutants. All three institutions measure toxic pollutants, but the data is not public and reports are not consistently published. The Institute for Public Health of FBiH, as well as the RS Public Health Institute, publish annual reports on the state of public health in the FBiH and the RS. These reports include a section entitled Environment and Health, in which the quality of air, soil and water, as well as the effects of noise on health are reported. Although these reports do not contain data or measurements, they do express the following concerns: air pollution in some towns that regularly exceeds limits (especially in winter months), potential water pollutants that reach the water supply system and problems with waste management. Reports stress the problem of illegal landfills as the leading issue affecting environmental health. This is especially the case with industrial and medical waste which is not adequately disposed of, i.e., that is discarded at illegal landfills or together with municipal waste. The Institute for Public Health of FBiH reports that 60% of infectious medical waste is collected together with municipal waste. The Institute for Public Health of FBiH, and the RS Public Health Institutealso state that such a situation with waste in the country presents even a greater risk for groundwater quality, which is not monitored regularly. The Institute for Accreditation of BiH regularly publishes and updates the list of all accredited laboratories dealing with chemical testing and other activities linked to the environmental protection. Laboratories from this list undertake chemical testing of soil, water, animal and agricultural products and food. The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH is the national focal point 43 (executive body) for all conventions on environmental protection signed and ratified by the state. BiH is a signatory of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants which was ratified on 30 March 2010. The launch of project “Enabling Activities for Implementation of Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in BiH” in May 2011 gives the hope that some aspects of POP state in the country will be clarified, since the development of a POP inventory in BiH is one of the project activities. The main goal of the project is to strengthen national capacity and enable preparations for the National Implementation Plan for POP Management, as well as its specific strategy and action plans. 43 NFP – National Focal Point