Detection, fate, transport and uptake of chemicals

The routine application of biosolids to land may result in microplastic accumulation in the soil with unknown impacts. There is inadequate evidence to determine the potential effects of microplastic presence on the ecosystem and the ultimate fate in soil. 

Other sources might also contribute to microplastics in soils however the primary objective of this study is to assess whether sludge is increasing the microplastic burden in agricultural soils compared to other sources. Based on microplastic characteristics found in soil and sludge, evidence can support to determine the role of biosolid-applied agricultural land as a permanent or temporary reservoir for microplastics. In collaboration with South West Water, this project aims to establish whether the presence of microplastics in biosolids applied to land poses a significant risk to the ecosystem, soil health, and fertility, or whether they are likely to accumulate in the soil or migrate into aquatic systems. 

Contact: ta460@exeter.ac.uk  

My project seeks to generate evidence to inform regulatory decision making for chemicals not yet regulated by the Stockholm Convention in biota from the UK and Antarctic. I’ll use both targeted and non-targeted analysis to measure concentrations of chemicals of concern in biota which will provide evidence for long-range transport, persistence and bioaccumulation for specific chemicals.

I have worked with Cefas to measure PFAS in marine mammals from the UK and also sub-Antarctic seabirds. I’m now working with them to develop non-targeted methods for analysis. My partners at Defra are helping to shape the direction of the research, i.e. which research questions could have the most impact on policy. Additionally, I’m working with British Antarctic Survey (BAS) to obtain samples from Antarctica and integrate chemical analyses with their expertise in trophic ecology to characterise bioaccumulation.

Contact: i.bailes@lancaster.ac.uk 

So far samples from 28 mammalian carnivores across 6 species, 15 Asian water monitor lizards, 72 small mammals, and 196 fish were collected during a 7-month field season at Danau Girang Field Centre during the first year of my PhD. 

Back in Cardiff University, fur, scale, blood, and faecal samples will undergo analysis using inductively coupled plasma optical emissions spectroscopy (ICP-OES) to detect heavy metal compositions. Metabarcoding of faecal samples will be used to identify dietary composition and relate them to heavy metal loads, hopefully allowing me to trace primary modes of bioaccumulation/biomagnification routes in food chains. The scope and impact of this research is enhanced by collaboration with Sabah Wildlife Department, UK Centre of Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), and a partnership with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). 

Contact: CuddyTJ@cardiff.ac.uk 

In a move toward sustainable agriculture and away from synthetic fertilisers, manure is increasingly being applied to farm soil. However, this can introduce veterinary pharmaceuticals into soils. Additionally, AMF can be used in sustainable agriculture as they are important soil symbionts that can assist plants in their nutrient uptake (mainly phosphorus and nitrogen), but also improve soil health. 

In the first year of my PhD, I investigated how three veterinary pharmaceuticals impacted the nutrient exchange between AMF and plants. Spoiler alter – only one impacted it! In my second year, I plan to investigate this impact further.

Contact: e.durant@sheffield.ac.uk 

In a move toward sustainable agriculture and away from synthetic fertilisers, manure is increasingly being applied to farm soil. However, this can introduce veterinary pharmaceuticals into soils. Additionally, AMF can be used in sustainable agriculture as they are important soil symbionts that can assist plants in their nutrient uptake (mainly phosphorus and nitrogen), but also improve soil health. 

To address this, modelling work was applied to identify source patterns for legacy PFAS by exploring the Environmental Agency’s (partner) Water Quality data on PFAS. This work highlighted broad spatial distribution of PFAS and identified the role of airfields, landfills and WWTPs on legacy PFAS in surface waters. These findings provide useful guidance for future catchment-specific governmental assessments. The experimental phase of the project includes investigations to determine PFAS behaviour in WWTPs and their fate in sludge as well as secondary and tertiary treatment processes. 

Contact: r.georgiou@lancaster.ac.uk  

The project will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of new ultra-low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, an emerging source of PFCAs whose emissions are increasing, using a multi-model approach. This approach will enable uncertainty on estimates of pollutant deposition to remote regions (e.g. the Arctic) to be better quantified and a better understanding of the relative contribution of different emission sources. There is a need for further research on this topic in order to inform policy decisions on regulations such as the Montreal Protocol, the EU F-gas regulation, and the current PFAS Restriction Proposal under EU REACH. I will be working with my project partner at the Environment Agency to ensure that research outputs are relevant and usable for policy makers.

Contact: l.hart4@lancaster.ac.uk 

In particular, anthropogenic sourced pollution (e.g., chemical, new emerging pollutants, heavy metal pollution) in nearshore marine environments presents a huge concern for ecosystem structure, function, and health.Yet, for many of these pollutants, the wider ecotoxicological effects on the marine environment remain poorly understood and limited studies have investigated the cumulative toxic effects of pollutants in mid-high marine trophic predators like sharks and their trophic networks.

As highly connected organisms, helminth parasites often utilise sharks for their paratenic/definitive life stages. It has been suggested in some studies that helminth communities can aid in bioremediation processes by acting as pollutant sinks and/or providing information about toxicity levels in the external environment. My research looks to build on this to further assess the potential of both ecto & endoparasitic communities in sharks as biomonitoring tools for pollutants in UK waters. As an interdisciplinary project, this work involves collaborating with a number of different institutions including my partner organisation Cefas. 

Contact: masonfc@cardiff.ac.uk 

During fieldwork at Danau Girang Field Centre the Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, a range of samples including soils, waters, sediments, vegetation and invertebrates were collected.

Heavy metals as the focus, current objectives are to identify pollution hotspots, transport pathways, and exposure and bioaccumulation at lower trophic levels. Moving forward I hope to explore the role of plantation management strategy in determining chemical fate as well as exploring potential mitigation and remediation options. Furthermore, I hope perform bioaccumulation and ecotoxicology testing using native species to assess the validity of extending current chemical risk assessment frameworks, designed in temperate regions, to tropical settings. Through collaboration with project partner JNCC, results and recommendations will be discussed with local oil palm stakeholders and government bodies. 

Contact: nicpor@ceh.ac.uk 

The project will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of new ultra-low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, an emerging source of PFCAs whose emissions are increasing, using a multi-model approach. So far, we have characterised coastal chemical contamination in different environmental matrices (seawater, sediment and biota) across the archipelago using grab sampling, novel passive samplers and conventional analytical equipment (e.g. HPLC-MS) to establish a baseline. 

The next steps are to conduct laboratory and field investigations using a suite of rapid assessment tools – quick, simple to perform, low-cost tests that require only basic laboratory equipment and can be performed by non-scientists, thus reducing the requirement for expensive and often inaccessible analytical equipment. These tools include bioassays and chemical immunoassays, and have the potential to detect and monitor chemical exposure, sublethal biological damage and organismal health in the Galapagos. 

Contact: gs462@exeter.ac.uk 

This will provide insights into their effects on soil health and pave the way for further investigation into their impact on crop production and other vital components of ecosystems like pollinators, arthropods, and soil microbes. As these pharmaceuticals appear in the environment together, not individually, I will be assessing the impact of these antidepressants as a mixture to make my assessments similar to real-world scenarios. 

Contact: isla.stubbs@york.ac.uk 

As an emerging field of research, very little is known regarding WSP prevalence and the effect on organisms. Therefore, the project aims to address fundamental questions to the research field, developing analytical methodology capable of quantifying these polymers, investigating their biodegradation and exploring their effect as flocculation agents on freshwater sediment. 

Alongside this, collaboration with Charlotte Robison-Smith in Cardiff University School of Biosciences has enabled interdisciplinary research, exploring the sublethal effects of WSPs on freshwater organisms. Thus far, novel, polymer-focussed detection and quantification methods have been published or are in preparation, including the detection of WSPs in aquatic organisms. Ongoing work will focus on the environmental effects of polymers on suspended sediment, chronic sublethal toxicity tests and biodegradation assessments at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

It is hoped this research will add to the conversation regarding the regulation of polymers, which are currently exempt from REACH.

Contact: TarringEC@cardiff.ac.uk 

This will involve; determining the highest priority active ingredients within parasiticides in regards to those that may pose the potential highest relative environmental risk, generating exposure data for these compounds in surface water and sediment to be utilised to understand environmental risk and the importance of both the direct and the down the drain exposure pathways and modelling potential trophic web outcomes based on probable pollution exposure patterns of pet parasiticides.

Alongside my project I have also had the opportunity to undertake a secondment within JNCC’s Environmental Pollution team.

Contact: ict506@york.ac.uk  

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