Water is essential for life, a strategic resource for every country and population. Its availability and sanitary safety is highly connected with the health and economy status of population. Burden of disease due to polluted water is a major public health problem throughout the world. Many pollutants in water streams have been identified as toxic and harmful to the environment and human health, and among them arsenic, mercury and cadmium are considered as high priority ones. Providing population with safe drinking water became the priority and at the same time a big challenge for the modern society. Many funding agencies in various countries have assigned a high priority to the envir- mental security and pollution prevention. UN, being one of them, launched the "International Decade for Action: Water for life 2005-2015. " Therefore, today's political and social climate presents an important opportunity to implement principles of sustainable development and to preserve resources essential for future life. This process requires interdisciplinary approach; it is critically important to stimulate interactions between medical doctors, chemists, physicist, materials scientists, engineers and policy makers, which are already experienced in their specific areas. It is also our ethical obligation to preserve existing water resources and existing eco systems enhancing their biodiversity. The NATO Advanced Research Workshop "Water Treatment Te- nologies for the Removal of High-Toxicity Pollutants" took place on September 13-17, 2008 in KoSice, Slovak Republic.

Inhalt

Preface.- Nanomaterials in evaluating chemical-biological-physical integrity of drinking water; A. Vaseashta .- Rainwater collecting as a part of implementation of the sustainable development principles on Croatian islands - old habits for new era; K. Vitale et al.- Fish consumption and mercury body burden in women of reproductive age from urban area in Croatia; N. Janev Holcer et al.- Origin of Arsenic in Drinking Waters in the West Backa District of Serbia; L. Sokolova Djokic et al.- Magnetic zeolite as arsenic sorbent; M. Vaclavikova et al.- Modeling and simulation of heavy metals removal from drinking water by magnetic zeolite; A. Martins et al.- Sorption of metal ions from aqueous solution on fixed-beds of iron-based adsorbents; E.A. Deliyanni et al.- Removal of arsenic from drinking water - Croatian experience; L. Sipos et al.- Arsenic oxidation by membrane contactors; A. Criscuoli et al.- Arsenic species information - a key problem for water purification; I. Havezov, E. Tsekulov.- Distribution and speciation of arsenic in ground waters and tap waters of Eastern Croatia; M. Ujevic et al.- Oxyamons in waste: Occurence, leaching, stabilisation, relation to waste water treatment; C. Vandecastecle, G. Cornelis.- Trace elements speciation in mining affected waters; S. Tepavitcharova et al.- Effect of electrolytes on the electrochemical oxidation of synthetic dyes; G.P. Gaffios et al.- Heavy metal cationic wastewater treatment with membrane methods; G.G. Kagramanov et al.- Separation of cesium-137, strontium-90 and actinides from waters and wastewaters: A short review of the materials and processes; P. Misaelides.- Mo, Sb and Se removal from scrubber effluent of a waste incinerator; P. Lievens et al.- Equilibrium modeling of Cu Removal from aqueous solutions: Influence of ionic strength; T. Bakalár et al.- Adsorption characteristics of cobalt(II) and nickel(II) onto diatomite and amberlite252 ZU resin from aqueous solutions; S. Kocaoba.- Removal of highlytoxic wastewater pollutants with excessive active sludge; A Choban, I. Winkler.- Analysis of influence of the thermal power plant wastewaters discharge on natural water objects; A Choban, I. Winkler.- Extraction of nickel and copper ions from waste technological solutions; Y.A. Tevtul et al.- Composite iron-based coagulant synthesised by inorganic polyferric sulphate and organic non-anionic polymer; P. A. Moussas, A. I. Zouboulis.- Characterization and application of novel coagulant reagent (polyaluminium silicate chloride) for the post-treatment of landfill leachates; N.D. Tzoupanos, A.I. Zouboulis.- Application of carbon nanoparticles for water treatment; R. Khaydarov et al.- Sorption of copper and zinc cations by bio-modified brown coal; M. Prascakova et al.- Application of bacterially produced hydrogen sulphide for selective precipitation of heavy metals; A. Luptakova et al.- Morphology control of ordered porous silica adsorbents; L.S. Berezovska et al.- Chemical modification of silica surface by immobilization of amino groups for synthesis of silver nanoparticles; K. Katok et al.- Removal of nickel by natural and magnetically modified bentonite; J. VereS et al.- Effect of magnetic modification on the sorption properties of natural bentonite; Z. Orolínová et al.- New chemical sensors for fast and reliable analytical control of Sn2 and Pb2 ions in water and waste water; S. Boycheva et al.- Express UV-photometry method for determination of the oil- compounds content in water; I. Winkler.- Optimal synthesis of system for thermal treatment of chlorine water; V. Nikuishin, V. von Zedtwitz.- Research in the Institute of geotechnics SAS - Water treatment technologies; V.Mockovciaková.- List of participants.- Keywords index.