The environmental specimen bank of the Federal Republic of Germany rep
resents the modern form of a systematically designed archive for the p
reservative storage of selected environmental specimens. Major aims of
environmental specimen banks are: (i) retrospective identification an
d quantification of environmental chemicals including those not known
at the time of storage; (ii) retrospective replicate analysis of sampl
es stored under preservative conditions for the determination of inorg
anic elements or organic compounds already examined; and (iii) retrosp
ective control of the success of legislative environmental protection
measures in handling chemicals regarded as hazardous for man and the e
nvironment. Results of the environmental specimen bank at Julich by th
e Institute of Applied Physical Chemistry, Research Centre Julich, KFA
, obtaining the initiated legislative regulations providing environmen
tal pollution, are already proved for various compartments.