Emerging pollutants

The variety of chemical compounds entering the aquatic environment is increasing along with the release of new products on the world market. While to date comparably few chemicals are targeted by regulatory frameworks, GhEnToxLab aims to determine and assess possible environmental risks caused by emerging pollutants with special focus on e.g. pesticides, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disrupting compounds and microplastics. For effect assessment, GhEnToxLab maintains several cultures of test organisms belonging to different trophic levels (e.g. numerous algae species, different crustaceans etc.). Further, we provide experience and knowledge of several (standardized) biotest systems including freshwater and marine species. For Risk Assessment, GhEnToxLab is involved in regular monitoring campaigns aiming to identify and sample emerging environmental pollutants (e.g. with passive samplers). Combined with biotesting this allows to assess risks exerted by (emerging) environmental pollutants.


Current researchers
João Barbosa, Miao Peng, Ilias Semmouri, Emmanuel Van Acker

Past researchers
Lisbeth Van Cauwenberghe, Michiel Claessens, Samuel Moeris


PhD theses
Van Cauwenberghe, L. (2016). Occurrence, effects and risks of marine microplastics. Ghent University. Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent, Belgium.

Claessens, M. (2013). The use of passive samplers as a central tool in integrated environmental risk assessments. Ghent University. Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent, Belgium.

Recent publications
Van Cauwenberghe, L. et al. (2013). Microplastic pollution in deep-sea sediments. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION182, 495–499.

Van Hoecke, K. et al. (2013). Ecotoxicity and uptake of polymer coated gold nanoparticles. NANOTOXICOLOGY7(1), 37–47.

Projects
Integrated Risk Assessment and Monitoring of micropollutants in the Belgian coastal zone (INRAM)

New Strategies for monitoring and risk assessment of Hazardous chemicals in the marine Environment with Passive Samplers (NewSTHEPS)