Hengstmann et al. Environmental Sciences Europe (2026) 38:20 
Spotlight 2: microplastics 
When looking at microplastics, which may be emitted in 
the form of coating particles and/or particles from rotor 
blade erosion, two different regulatory approaches have 
been implemented in the countries considered. In Bel- 
gium and in the Netherlands, microplastics or specific 
polymers are explicitly regulated. In Belgium, measures 
to limit the emission of microplastics are required to be 
described and submitted for approval to the commit- 
tee supervising the ongoing activities at sea [18]. In the 
Netherlands, rules for epoxy coatings are in place [22]. 
In contrast, microplastics and polymers are not explicitly 
addressed in other national regulations but are implic- 
itly covered by general minimization rules. Here, emis- 
sions are supposed to be minimized and/or introduction 
of substances is prohibited (e.g. [2, 4]) which may also 
include particulate matter from coatings or rotor blades, 
Page "nf 9 
Recommendations and need for action 
To summarize, the presented overview of national 
regulatory approaches in several North Sea border- 
ing countries shows that first regulations concern- 
ing chemical emissions and their monitoring have 
been implemented, for example for corrosion protec- 
tion measures. The comparative analysis also reveals 
a substantial discrepancy across countries regarding 
the specification of guidelines: rules vary in the level 
of detail and not all types and sources of emission are 
addressed. Transnational recommendations, e.g. by 
OSPAR, address chemical emissions vaguely. However, 
detailed recommendations could be effective in reduc- 
ing chemical emissions e.g. as shown by the OSPAR 
recommendations for offshore oil and gas installations 
29]. Therefore, we see a clear need to address and 
tackle the aspects named and described in the follow- 
ıng subchapters in future (also see Fig. 1). 
ze mMmeENdatA 
„eco mendatig 
SS Minimization 
You 
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& 
S 
& 
al 
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1 
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Current “Zero 
knowledge Pollution” 
Anode 
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Coating \ 
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Ban of 
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a 
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a ed 
Fig. 1 Overview of identified lacks with respect to regulations on chemical emissions from OWFs and possible steps for improving regulations 
* re