Quantifying the Online Behavior Towards Organic Micropollutants of the EU Watchlist: The Cases of Diclofenac & the Macrolide Antibiotics

This study aims at quantifying and analyzing the online interest in the micropollutants Diclofenac and the Macrolide Antibiotics (Azithromycin, Clarithromycin and Erythromycin) included in the watchlist of the EU Decision 2015/495. Using online search traffic data from Google Trends, we examine the change in interest from 2004 to 2015 in five EU countries. The results show an increased Worldwide percentage change in interest in Diclofenac, Azithromycin and Clarithromycin over the selected period, in contrary to Erythromycin, that is declining. In the examined EU countries, Germany and the UK show the highest online interest with mostly increasing rates, while in France, Italy and Spain, the interest in all four substances is significantly lower.