Given the wide variety of actual discharges and other forms of water pollution, the various properties of the substances involved, the different conditions and functions of the receiving waters, it is obvious that pollution cannot be reduced by the mere prescribing of a neat, uniform procedure. First, not all substances need to be restricted to the same extent: black-listed substances are to be tackled in such a way asito eliminate the pollution they cause, while the targets for the other substances, i.e. other than those on the black list, are generally less stringent. Second, there are different ways and instruments available for reducing water pollution. The efforts to combat water pollution have made rapid progress since the introduction of the Act. Attention has mainly been focussed on the reduction of discharges of oxygen-consuming wastes, heavy metals and organochlorine pesticides. As a result of considerable investments in industrial and sewage purification plants both at the national and the international level, water quality has drastically improved (Water Action Programme, 1980). Nevertheless, due to the absence of geochemical and ecotoxicological realism in the setting of quality criteria for heavy metals and certain persistent lipophilic compounds, contamination of sediments has reached unacceptable levels. Moreover, many organic micropollutants escape attention due to the lack of adequate analytical methods, to their complex environmental behaviour, their unknown impact on aquatic ecosystems and, sometimes due to political interference resulting in inaccuracies in setting priorities. These points all apply to dithiocarbamates (DCs). Fortunately, however, biomonitoring of the waste water of DC-manufacturing companies has revealed their high toxicity, and drawn attention to this group of pesticides. DCs are synthesized from amines, carbon disulfide and sodium hydroxide. The resulting sodium derivatives are either oxidized to thiuramdisulfides or reacted with metal sulphates, and the desired organic complex is precipitated. On exposure to moisture, acids and high temperatures DCs decompose into a large variety of degradation products. Although the primary degradation processes may proceed at high rates, ultimate biodegradation, i.e. mineralization in soils, hydrosoils and water in particular, is relatively slow. Hence, in drawing conclusions abput the environmental impact of DCs, the ecotoxicological profiles of their degradation products should also be considered. DCs are effective against a broad spectrum of fungi and other organisms. They disturb many cellular processes. Pronounced alterations in the intermediary metabolism of ethanol caused by tetraethylthiuram disulfide (disulfiram) constij;ute the most illustrative example of this; its effectiveness as an antialcoholic drug has been discovered casually by two Danish physicians. More information and influences of DC's is provided in this report. It is the aim of this thesis to furnish these data.