Topics | Umweltbundesamt

Pharmaceuticals, which have become a lynchpin of our high standard of living, improve our quality of life and palliate and cure human and veterinary diseases. However, pharmaceuticals need to be used sparingly and with due care, for their positive effects also entail human and environmental risks and collateral effects. read more

Pesticides are used extensively in agriculture. Their main purpose is to keep crops healthy and weeds and pests at bay. However, they also have undesirable effects on biodiversity and water quality in adjacent biotopes. read more

In addition to sufficient water, plants need nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphate, potassium) and trace elements (e.g., copper and zinc) to develop and grow. Only then can they achieve high yields of good quality. Plants absorb nutrients and trace elements from the soil through their root system. The humus content of the soil plays a central role in this process. Humus is rich in plant nutrients a... read more

The quality of the drinking water in Germany is excellent. Its main source, groundwater, enjoys a high level of protection and should be as free as possible from chemical residues. read more

The motto for World Water Day 2022 is "Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible". This is why "groundwater" was chosen as the water body type of the year this year. The largest available freshwater resources on earth lie invisibly underground. For many people in the world, groundwater is the only available source of drinking water. read more

Under the current legal situation, pesticides are authorised in Germany even though scientific findings show that they are harmful to the environment. The German authorities are currently unable to effectively protect the environment from harmful pesticides. This should be re-regulated under European law. read more

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The European Nitrates Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the German Groundwater and Drinking Water Ordinances require that exceedances of the limit value for nitrate of 50 milligrams per liter be prevented.Since 2008, the quality standard has been exceeded every year at almost one in six measuring points.Extensive changes to the fertilizer legislation have allowed the designation of particul... read more