Emission of metals results in pollution of the soil, the atmosphere and the hydrosphere, and this metal pollution is a potential threat to the health of humans and ecosystems.
metals
Bio-accumulation and trophic transfer of pollutants (metals, POPs and pesticides) in tropical freshwater aquatic food webs
The research focuses on the pollution (local and global) of tropical fresh water aquatic systems by micro-and macro pollutants (metals, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, nutrients) and the bi
Development of a risk-assessment and biomarkers to predict human risk during exposure to soil contamination.
One of the most commonly asked questions of redevelopment of contaminated sites is whether the site can be used for human habitation and whether it can be implemented into urban development. In order to address this question we need to assess the spatial degree of contamination and evaluate the risks involved. This risk is highly dependent on various aspects of land use, the type of people that are involved (for instance the age category), the time spent in the contaminated site, etc. At present, different areas of the NW-Europe region have different risk assessment procedures to assess human risks, however, little is know on the spatial variation that occur in contaminated sites. We would not like to re-invent the wheel, but rather integrate modules of these existing procedures in our spatial and visual risk systems. Obviously, as we cannot model every single aspect of risk for all different age groups, so we will focus on the risks for the most vulnerable age groups, i.e. small children. In this project we will integrate the existing legislative framework of the UK, Flanders (Belgium) and the Netherlands into a Decision support system. This will allow the end-user to evaluate the soil contamination in a European perspective. Our primary focus will be on heavy metals as they are the contaminant most frequently occurring in contaminated areas and because they have been extensively studied.
Identification and characterisation of urea transporters in the gills of the spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias.
Elasmobranchs possess a unique system for osmoregulation. They are slightly hyperosmotic compared to their environment due to high levels of urea and trimethylamino oxide in their body. Therefore, they absorb water continuously by osmosis and do not have to drink.
Metal bioavailability from sediments and effects on the macroinvertebrate community
This field based study investigates to which extent sediment-bound metals are bioavailable to different groups of aquatic invertebrates and what effect this will have on the macroinvertebrate communit
