1. Introduction: The Origins and Aims of the European Science Foundation Joint Project in Environmental Toxicology, Economics and Institutions -- 2. The Regulation of Chemicals in Agricultural Production: A Joint Economic and Toxicological Framework -- 3. The EC Directive on Drinking Water: Institutional Aspects -- 4. EEC Regulatory Problems: State of Application of Directive 80/788 -- 5. Agronomic and Ecotoxicological Aspects of Herbicide Contamination of Groundwater in Italy -- 6. Purification of Groundwaters Polluted by Atrazine -- 7. The Costs of Meeting a Drinking Water Quality Standard: The Case of Atrazine in Italy -- 8. Concluding Remarks and Directions for Future Research.

This work stems from the activities carried out under the European Science Foundation's Environmental Toxicology Programme and its daughter programme, Environmental Damage and its Assessment. The work served also as a pilot study for the ESF Scientific programme on Environment, Science and Society (ESS), thus demonstrating the interdependence of the natural and social sciences with respect to environmental issues. The book is unique in the sense that it records the results of a four year collaboration between environmental toxicologists, economists and institutionalists. Its objective was to achieve better characterized or even novel insights into the theory and practice of water resource management, quality assurance and chemical safety regulation.