As an assignment from the Swedish EPA, IVL and NILU has during 2007/2008 developed analyticalmethods and performed a “Screening Study” of selected pigments. Since no previous measures ofpigments in the Swedish environment have been made, the overall objective of the screening was todetermine if the selected pigments are present, and if so, determine their concentrations in a variety ofmedia in the Swedish environment. In total, 51 samples were analysed representing soil, surface water,sediment, biota (fish), sludge and influent and effluent water from municipal STPs, storm water,leachate water and leachate water sludge from landfills, effluent water from public laundries, andprocess water and sludge from a deinking plant treating recycled paper. The pigments included in thestudy were Pigment yellow 1, Pigment orange 5, Pigment red 53:1 and Pigment red 170. All fourpigments were found in influent waters from the municipal STPs, but only Pigment red 53:1 could befound in the effluent water and this only in one out of four samples. Three of the pigments, Pigmentred 53:1, red 170 and yellow 1, could also be found in sludge. Thus removal of the pigments takes placeduring the waste water treatment process. All four Pigments could also be found in storm watersamples from the city of Stockholm. Diffuse emissions from the society thus do occur. Two of thepigments, Pigment red 53:1 and Pigment red 170, could be found in sediment samples from the city ofStockholm and from the recipient of one of the STPs. All four pigments could be found in effluentwater from a public laundry and in samples from different process stages of the deinking of recycledpaper in a paper mill. This indicates that textiles and paper products may be sources to the diffuseemissions seen. None of the pigments could be detected in the samples from background areas.Emissions in and transport to rural areas thus seems to be minor