TY - JOUR A1 - Schoknecht, Ute A1 - Tietje, O. A1 - Borho, N. A1 - Burkhardt, M. A1 - Rohr, M. A1 - Vollpracht, A. A1 - Weiler, L. T1 - Environmental impact of construction products on aquatic systems - Principles of an integrated source-path-target concept N2 - Buildings exposed to water can release undesirable substances which, once transported to environmental compartments, may cause unwanted effects. These exposure pathways need to be investigated and included in risk assessments to safeguard water quality and promote the sustainability of construction materials. The applied materials, exposure conditions, distribution routes and resilience of receiving compartments vary considerably. This demonstrates the need for a consistent concept that integrates knowledge of emission sources, leaching processes, transport pathways, and effects on targets. Such a consistent concept can serve as the basis for environmental risk assessment for several scenarios using experimentally determined emissions. Typically, a source–path–target concept integrates data from standardized leaching tests and models to describe leaching processes, the distribution of substances in the environment and the occurrence of substances at different points of compliance. This article presents an integrated concept for assessing the environmental impact of construction products on aquatic systems and unravels currently existing gaps and necessary actions. This manuscript outlines a source–path–target concept applicable to a large variety of construction products. It is intended to highlight key elements of a holistic evaluation concept that could assist authorities in developing procedures for environmental risk assessments and mitigation measures and identifying knowledge gaps. KW - Construction products KW - Environmental impact KW - Assessment KW - Concept PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-542175 SN - 2073-4441 VL - 14 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-54217 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -