A novel German guideline for the sampling procedures for passive biomonitoring with fish as accumulation indicators: VDI 4230, Part 4

A novel German guideline, VDI 4230, Part 4, has been adopted to provide a standardized protocol for the sampling of freshwater fish for passive biomonitoring with fish as accumulation indicators. The guideline has been designed for multiple purposes, e.g. for the chronological tracking of environmental pollution following hazardous incidents, for the monitoring of the success of regulatory measures and voluntary restrictions, for emission and immission monitoring, for the monitoring of contaminated sites, for the provision of samples retained for long-term monitoring, and for initial exploratory studies for determination of pollution hotspots.