SETAC 13th Young Environmental Scientists Meeting

Key words: marine/freshwater ecosystem, toxicity testing, trophic interactions, Chemical pollution, multiple stress, acute and chronic effects 

Aquatic ecosystems are among the most affected by global crises. Marine ecosystems face increasing risks from extreme heatwaves and anthropogenic pollution, while freshwater ecosystems are particularly threatened by chemical pollution and global land use changes. Aquatic ecotoxicology focuses on assessing the harmful effects of contaminants, as well as their interactions and distributions across different aquatic strata and the broader ecosystem. This broad field covers a wide range of environmental stressors, including legacy and emerging pollutants such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, (micro)plastics, and personal care products, which are released or remobilized into aquatic environments. 

Research in aquatic ecotoxicology typically investigates both single and mixture toxicity, including novel, non-standard endpoints that explore effects at various levels of biological organization. This session will also address highly specific endpoints, ranging from endocrine disruption and biomagnification to environmental fate, behavioural changes, and population-level effects in aquatic ecosystems. Approaches such as microcosms, mesocosms, in situ studies, and post-exposure/depuration observations will be explored in detail. 

Keywords: soil, terrestrial ecosystems, land use and land use change  

Soils play a crucial role in providing essential ecosystem services, including food production and flood control. However, these services are under constant threat from increasing anthropogenic land use, which leads to ongoing erosion and soil degradation, irreversibly altering or, in the worst cases, destroying soil ecosystems. At the same time, increasing chemical pollution and climate change are placing additional pressure on terrestrial ecosystems, resulting in long-term changes to organism communities and ecological functions, with potentially unknown consequences for both environmental and human health. 

The challenges faced by soil ecology primarily arise from the increased complexity of working with soil, where factors such as sorption and subsequent immobilisation of toxicants are critical considerations. This is true not only for current contamination but also in relation to the remobilisation of legacy pollutants. This session focuses on investigating how stressors impact land- and soil-dependent organisms and their environments. These stressors can include single factors (e.g., chemicals, nutrients), multiple factors (e.g., climate change, changes in multiple nutrients, combinations of pesticides), or complex mixtures (e.g., oil spills and legacy pollutants). 

Abstracts based on both in situ and ex situ studies are welcome in this session. Examples of relevant topics include exposure and ecological effects of chemicals in terrestrial biota, soil and sediment toxicity, fate and transport of chemicals in terrestrial environments, and the impacts/assessments of agricultural chemicals. 

Keywords: One Health, Environment and Humans, Toxicology, Pollution, Interaction 

The ongoing crises have not only highlighted the fragility and vulnerability of human well-being and the quality of life we’ve achieved on Earth but also underscored the undeniable dependency of humanity on a healthy environment. Recent scientific advances have provided compelling evidence of the connection between human and environmental health, often referred to as One Health. This concept exists alongside the framework of planetary boundaries, which defines the environmental limits necessary for a sustainable future. Within this framework, issues such as biosphere integrity, nitrogen and phosphorus flows, and more recently, chemical pollution, are seen as exceeding the operating space necessary for a sustainable future for humankind. 

To predict the consequences of surpassing these boundaries and to enable effective crisis management based on scientific evidence, a holistic understanding of the interactions between human and environmental health in the Anthropocene is essential. Questions such as, "How does chemical pollution impact local biodiversity?" "How do changes in biodiversity and land use affect critical ecosystem services?" and "To what extent do anthropogenic actions contribute to the spread of novel pathologies in humans and wildlife?" are central to One Health science. 

The complexity of multiple simultaneous crises poses significant challenges for both current and future generations. However, recent advancements in biochemical analytics and computational technologies provide us with powerful tools to analyse these challenges, as well as to identify potential actions and solutions based on scientific evidence. This session invites participants to present research that not only addresses aquatic and terrestrial environmental sciences but also enhances our understanding of whole ecosystem effects and their implications for the well-being of both wildlife and humanity. 

Keywords: effect modelling, mechanistic modelling, data-driven, machine-learning, predictive, validation 

Effect modelling has gained increasing recognition as a valuable method in the regulatory environmental risk assessment of chemicals, particularly by European authorities in recent years. This is largely due to its potential to overcome some of the limitations inherent in traditional, experiment-based risk assessment schemes. Models can integrate knowledge from various sources, serving as a platform to assess the key drivers of contaminant fate and predict exposure concentrations in different scenarios. 

Effect modelling lends itself to a predictive approach in environmental toxicology, especially as mechanistic models continue to grow more robust. These approaches are of significant interest to a range of stakeholders seeking to anticipate real-world exposure outcomes. Concerns such as toxicant mixtures in natural environments and the behaviour of materials with unique physicochemical properties are increasingly being addressed through modelling. 

For this session, topics of interest include the extension of models to different contaminants, incorporation of spatial and temporal factors, novel validation methods for modelling approaches, data-driven strategies, machine learning techniques, and the development of user-friendly interfaces. Discussions will centre around how these new tools can be used to advance our ability to model contaminant fate and toxicity in exposed organisms. The session will also explore best practices for sharing and documenting open-source software and identify common modelling challenges, as well as approaches to address these across different contaminant domains. 

Keywords: New Approach Methods (NAMs), in vitro methods, high-throughput screening, databases, read-across, regulatory science, chemical safety, sustainability. 

As the demand for more sustainable and ethical approaches to environmental risk assessment grows, New Approach Methods (NAMs) are transforming how scientists evaluate the ecological impact of chemicals. This session will explore how NAMs—such as computational modelling, high-throughput screening, organ-on-a-chip systems, and advanced in vitro techniques—are improving ecotoxicological testing while reducing reliance on traditional animal studies. These innovative tools provide new ways to assess chemical hazards with greater efficiency, precision, and relevance to real-world environmental conditions. 

Participants will discuss the role of NAMs in evaluating toxicity pathways, bioavailability, and ecological effects, as well as the challenges of integrating these methods into existing regulatory frameworks. The session will also highlight how databases, read-across techniques, and other data-driven tools are helping to fill knowledge gaps by leveraging existing information to predict chemical hazards more efficiently. Case studies will showcase practical applications of NAMs in environmental science and chemical safety assessment. As the field moves toward more data-driven and mechanistic approaches, this session will provide valuable insights into how NAMs are shaping the future of ecotoxicology and environmental risk assessment. 

Keywords: Life Cycle Assessment, environmental pollution, evaluation & regulation, nanomaterials, quantification 

While awareness of environmental pollution and stricter policies have led to a decrease in the frequency of large-scale pollution events, anthropogenic activities continue to introduce new and emerging environmental threats, such as pollutant emissions and contamination of surface waters. This session will focus on these emerging concerns and explore strategies to address them through regulatory science, policy development, and life cycle assessment (LCA). 

Submissions are invited on the role of policy and regulatory science in managing and mitigating environmental pollution, with a particular emphasis on emerging chemicals, and the effectiveness of current regulations. Life cycle assessments that evaluate the environmental impacts of products, processes, or projects, and how these assessments can inform policy and regulatory frameworks, are especially welcome. Topics related to environmental regulations, risk management strategies, and the implementation of policies to address new threats at various scales will be highlighted. 

Additionally, contributions exploring the effectiveness of current regulatory measures, the development of new policies, or the role of environmental monitoring and impact assessments in shaping policy decisions are encouraged. Research on meta-studies, impact categories, and impact assessment methodologies applied to emerging environmental concerns are also welcome. 

Keywords: climate change, pollution, habitat loss, invasive species 
 
Ecosystems are under increasing pressure from climate change, chemical pollution, habitat degradation, competition, and other stressors, which interact in complex ways. Climate-induced changes — such as rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and ocean acidification — can amplify pollutant toxicity, disrupt trophic dynamics, and lead to unexpected shifts in biodiversity and ecosystem function. 

This session will explore the ecological impacts of multiple stressors, with a focus on novel assessment methods (e.g., experiments, field studies, and bioindicators) and advancements in modelling (e.g., TK-TD) to predict ecological responses. We particularly welcome studies that integrate ecotoxicology and climate science to understand how combinations of stressors shape future ecosystems and identify strategies for protecting biodiversity in a changing world. 

Keywords: Microplastic, Fate, Risk Assessment, Monitoring, Organic Pollutants 

Due to their persistence, ubiquity, and poor waste management over several decades, microplastic (MP) particles are now found in nearly every environment worldwide. Concerns regarding the presence of microplastics span marine and freshwater ecosystems, sediments, soils, air, biota, and even food and water intended for human consumption. Despite increasing public awareness and responsibility, plastics will remain widespread for the foreseeable future, and their adverse environmental impacts will persist in aquatic systems for centuries to come. 

Although microplastics have been a “hot topic” for over two decades, recent advances in methods to quantify MPs and assess risks associated with their presence still leave several knowledge gaps. These include issues related to particles in the low micro- and nano-meter range, their transport, fate, interactions with the environment, and technical challenges (e.g., isolation, quantification, and characterization). 

Moreover, the development of a standardised risk assessment and analysis framework for MPs needs significant improvement before conclusions regarding their potential risks and impacts can be fully assessed, particularly with respect to harmonising different approaches. The size, complexity, and diversity of MPs, compounded by plastic additives such as benzotriazoles, softeners/plasticizers, and others, make investigating their environmental dispersal and subsequent impacts particularly challenging. 

This session invites contributions from diverse fields, including toxicology, ecology, physics, and chemistry, to address the environmental impacts of microplastics. Presentations will address new and improved methods for accurately studying the behaviour, fate, and effects of MPs, highlight key knowledge gaps, and contribute to the harmonisation of methodologies and reporting. This session encourages contributions that provide new insights into this crucial and rapidly evolving area of research, fostering discussions on the challenges and opportunities in studying microplastics. 

Keywords: (non)target analysis, mass spectrometry, metabolome, emerging contaminants, chemical characterization 

Chemical pollution has been recognized as one of the critical challenges exceeding the safe operating space for humanity, as outlined in the concept of planetary boundaries. With pollutants becoming more diverse and complex, there is an urgent need for advanced methods to detect and assess their presence and impact. This session will focus on cutting-edge analytical techniques—mass spectrometry, non-target analysis, and advanced chemical characterization methods—that are pushing the boundaries of environmental chemical analysis. These tools are essential for uncovering emerging contaminants that have been previously underreported or difficult to detect. 

The session will explore how these innovative methods are transforming the detection and quantification of pollutants across various environmental media, including air, water, sediment, and biota. Special attention will be given to how new analytical techniques can identify novel chemical threats, even in low concentrations, and provide insights into the diversity of pollutants that pose risks to ecosystems. The role of databases, read-across approaches, and chemical modelling tools will also be discussed, showing how these resources help improve risk assessments and regulatory decision-making. 

Advances in chemical analysis are crucial for addressing the challenges of pollution by enhancing our ability to monitor chemicals with more precise and effective analytical techniques.