Chemical and Biological Risks in the Water Sector – a Thematic Area in the European Commission's Erncip

Critical Infrastructures are vital for the maintenance of essential societal functions, public health, well‐being or economic vitality. The water sector, consequently, plays an important role in the network of infrastructures for the European society. Chemical and biological contamination of water systems can pose a tremendous impact on human health and might lead to consequences on the functionality of societies at large. Several incidents in the past all over the world witness the vulnerability of drinking water systems. Reasons were mostly human errors, accidents or impacts of extreme weather events. However, malicious acts to the water supply are also reported in literature and affirm that the threat of terrorist attacks is real, although many factors suggest that massive casualties from attacking water networks are difficult to produce.