SETAC Europe 25th Annual Meeting: Environmental protection in a multi-stressed world: challenges for science, industry and regulators

Environmental protection in a multi-stressed world: challenges for science, industry and regulators

It is a great pleasure to invite you to the SETAC Europe 25^th Annual Meeting, which will be held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, from 3-7 May 2015.  

The innovative use of chemicals and nanomaterials in new technologies, industry and agriculture challenges many aspects of the ecosystem functioning of the global environment. However, these new technologies and materials also offer opportunities to remediate or minimise these anthropogenic insults. Finding innovative solutions to environmental problems is ever more important in the current economic scenario. For SETAC, this is a challenge we relish.

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The scientific programme consists of 9 tracks for parallel sessions and 1 track for special sessions. Keywords are provided here as reference:

• Aquatic and terrestrial ecotoxicology
  Impact of pollution on organisms and populations, including different levels of integration (e.g., molecule to organism, lab to field), multiple stressors and toxicant mixture effects, evolutionary and multigenerational effects and epigenetics 
  
  
• Ecosystem responses and services under multi-stress conditions
  Evaluation of single and combined risks of environmental stressors at various spatial (local, regional and beyond) and temporal scales, and links with the services provided by ecosystems, aiming to integrate ecology-driven modeling approaches into ecotoxicology
  
  
• Analysis, fate and behaviour of contaminants
  Targeted and non-targeted detection methods for inorganic and organic contaminants in soil, water and air, sampling and processing of environmental and biological samples, fate, bioavailability research and modeling 
  
  
• Identification and prioritization of emerging contaminants  
  Strategies and methodologies for the identification, prioritization and management of contaminants of emerging concern,  e.g., pharmaceuticals and personal care products, plastics in surface waters, pesticides, antibiotics inducing bacterial resistance.
  
  
• Characterization, fate and effects of nanomaterials 
  All aspects of natural and engineered nanoparticles and materials: characterization, fate and exposure assessment, mechanisms of action, ecotoxicology, risk assessment, life cycle assessment, policy and regulation
  
  
• Exposure and effect modeling & predictive toxicology (environment & human)
  Exposure models and site-specific assessments, exposure and effect prediction in different systems, both human and the environment, and at different levels, including trophic magnification factors and QSARs, statistical approaches and mechanistic effect modeling, linking exposure and effects, system toxicology, "omics", in vitro approaches, adverse outcome pathways
  
  
• Life Cycle Assessment and sustainability
  All aspects of sustainability assessment including  Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Impact Assessment, Social Life Cycle Assessment, Life-Cycle Management, externalities valuation and monetisation practices, footprint analysis, sustainability of production and consumption, circular economy
  
  
• Risk assessment, regulation and public perception
  A priori and a posteriori risk assessment, risk management and risk mitigation methods, update on regulation and policies; public perception and awareness as drivers
  
  
• Pollution prevention and remediation 
  Methods to improve environmental quality, sustainable resource exploitation: waste water treatment, water-reuse, solid waste treatment and management, soil and sediment remediation strategies, ground water contamination, green chemistry and responsible innovation of chemicals
   

Special sessions

In addition to the parallel sessions, the Scientific Committee encourages the submission of proposals for special sessions, according to the following criteria:

• Environmental issues specifically related to southern Mediterranean countries and to the central theme of the meeting: managing the effects of multiple stressors, aquatic systems under water scarcity, solid waste treatment and management, water treatment and reuse
• SETAC is more than environmental science; bridging together science and policy is one of its aims. E.g., integration of epigenetics and OMICs into policy; scientific communication and outreach; environmental law.
• Topics attracting public interest and/or creating societal controversy, e.g. atmospheric pollution, environmental stress on human health, Genetically Modified food, Circular economy, Food sustainability.

Please note that the Scientific Committee will only accept a limited number of special sessions and might consider reallocation of proposals to one of the 9 parallel session tracks mentioned above. Special sessions can be organised with more flexibility and according to the personal preference of the chair, i.e., leading researchers can be solicited to contribute by personal invitation and the session can be organised more interactively via panel discussions, colloquium and/or video vox pops.