Scientists, representing the fields of agriculture, biodiversity, ecology epidemiology, medicine, microbiology, public health, toxicology, risk assessment, environmental protection and bioethics from 15 countries and 3 continents came together in May 8-12 2005, in Sofia, Bulgaria to discuss the future of water safety and security. The goals of the workshop included a discussion of the state of the science in identification of new research and approaches for water pollution events and communication of the management of water pollution and sustainability of water resources. Critical to management of accidental and intentional pollution events is the assessment of the risk, an understanding of the hazards and lessons learned from events which may lead to preventative management and control strategies. Public health protection will ultimately be improved by the ability to develop management frameworks which are flexible and adaptable to the specific region, country or watershed problems and concerns and allow for prioritization in the decision making. The integration of scientific information regarding the types of hazards the environmental fate of the chemical/biological, exposure pathways and human and ecosystem impacts may be implemented from both a qualitative or descriptive approach or using a more classical quantitative risk assessment paradigm. Thus the frameworks for assessing the risk and managing the risk may be seen as preventive, early warning and responsive.

Presents the experience of 34 water experts from 15 countries and 3 continents Chemical and biological accidental and intentional water pollution are discussed Preventive management and control strategy are recommended

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POTENTIAL WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS POSED BY INTENTIONAL/ACCIDENTAL INTERVENTIONS.- QUANTITATIVE HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT RESULTING FROM GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION OF AN ABANDONED OPEN FIELD CHEMICAL WASTE BURNING SITE.- ACUTE AND CHRONIC TOXICITY OF CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS AND WARFARE TOXINS IN DRINKING WATER.- LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE CYANIDE AND HEAVY METAL ACCIDENTAL WATER POLLUTION IN THE TISA RIVER BASIN IN THE YEAR 2000.- ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION ON FORMER MILITARY SITES AND HAZARDS TO THE DRINKING WATER IN GERMANY.- CONTAMINATION OF WATER BASINS OF ARMENIA BY PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS.- PESTICIDE RISK ASSESSMENT TO PROTECT AQUATIC SYSTEMS.- IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL RISKS FOR WATER.- BIOLOGICAL AGENTS LIKE THREAT CAUSING ONES OR TOOLS FOR DETECTING HAZARDS.- MICROBIAL RESISTANCE TO CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS - AN ESSENTIAL PRECONDITION OF NATURAL ATTENUATION IN GROUNDWATER AQUIFER.- SPECIFIC BIOLOGICAL THREATS IN WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION.- IS ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION WITH POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS A PROBLEM FOR BULGARIA.- DOES SURFACE WATER TREATMENT NEED SPECIAL MEASURES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC?.- WATER MANAGEMENT IN REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA. PRINCIPAL THREATS.- WATER MANAGEMENT IN MOROCCO.- THE ROMANIAN NATIONAL ACCIDENTAL AND INTENTIONAL POLLUTED WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.- RISK FOR PREGNANT WOMEN DUE TO BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL POLLUTION OF DRINKING WATER.- CHEMICAL TERRORISM: THREATS TO WATER SUPPLIES.- WATER FRAME DIRECTIVE AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH FOR POLLUTION PREVENTION OF WATER SOURCES IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES AT RIVER BASIN LEVEL.- WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN AGRICULTURE: THE CASE OF LOMBARDY - NORTH ITALY.- PRINCIPLES OF CHEMICAL WATER SAFETY FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROTECTION.- MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT OF DRINKING WATER SAFETY WITHESPECIAL REGARD TO ITS ROLE IN FOOD SAFETY.- PESTICIDES AND SURFACE WATER. THE ROLE OF MODELING AS A TOOL TO MANAGE CONTAMINATION.- LOW-COST ADSORBENTS FOR THE REMOVAL OF NITROPHENOLS FROM WASTE WATERS.- ACTUALIZING WATER ETHICS IN THE REGIONAL CONTEXT OF THE ARAB WORLD.- ETHICAL ASPECTS OF WATER POLLUTION AND MANAGEMENT.- ENSURING ADEQUATE REACTION IN CASE OF EXTREME WATER POLLUTION THROUGH TRAINING AND EDUCATION.- POSSIBLE BIOLOGICAL THREATS FOR EUROPE.- WATER SECURITY AND THE THREATS FROM BIOLOGICAL AGENTS OF CONCERN.