SETAC Asia-Pacific 14th Biennial Meeting

Due to the vast number of chemicals in the environment, the identification of toxicants and the assessment of their potential health risks cannot be solely achieved through environmental chemistry or toxicology research. The recent advancements in nontargeted analysis offer a great opportunity to bridge the gap between chemistry and toxicology for high-throughput toxicant identification, which is not achievable through traditional approaches. Specifically, nontargeted analysis has been integrated with effect-directed analysis, protein affinity purifications, molecular docking, and machine learning to enable the identification of toxicants, in a systematic way. This session invites contributions that highlight cutting-edge research integrating chemistry and toxicology through the application of nontargeted analysis. The session aims to welcome both computational and experimental scientists interested in initiating discussions on topics, including but not limited to toxicant identification, toxicity and physicochemical property prediction using MS spectra and machine learning, as well as the identification of abiotic/biotic reaction products. Abstracts will be evaluated for the quality of their content and their potential to advance the current understanding and applicability of nontargeted analysis in bridging environmental chemistry and toxicology.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Computational toxicology is an important aspect of toxicology research. Machine learning and environmental big data analysis have rapidly developed in the field of ecological environment in recent years, and promote the development of computational toxicology. Ecological and environmental big data analysis has brought a new research paradigm to environmental science research, revealing the process and the evolution of environmental health from micro atoms/molecules to macro regional/global scales. Big data analysis also provides early warning for ecological and environmental risks, and is urgent to a health Earth. 

Co-chairs

Secretary

Stable isotopes and environmental health provide a unique topic that extensively utilizes stable isotopes to study the behavior of pollutants in environmental processes, with a particular emphasis on the latest developments in tracking and monitoring environmental processes of organic pollutant using compound stable isotope analysis （CSIA）at different spatial and temporal scales. The session topics contains: 1. Development of stable isotope analysis technology for emerging pollutants; 2. Stable isotope analysis of sources of pollutants; 3. Development of Stable Isotope Fractionation and Source Allocation Models; 4. Stable isotope analysis to evaluate the bioavailability of organic pollutants; 5. Stable isotope fractionation analysis of organic pollutant (biological) chemical degradation mechanism; 6. Stable isotope analysis to evaluate the degradation of organic pollutants in soil and groundwater of polluted sites; 7. Stable isotope analysis and environmental forensic science; 8. Stable isotope analysis and pollution hydrology; 9. Other research content related to stable isotope analysis of pollutants.

Co-chairs

Secretary

This session is concerned with research on organic compounds that are persistent (P), bioaccumulative (B), and toxic (T) in the environment. Topics discussed in this session include (but are not limited to) new principles, techniques, and methods in environmental sampling, extraction and separation, mass spectrometric analysis, environmental omics, and quantitative structural property relationship modeling, to support qualitative and quantitative analysis of contaminants in multiple matrices (e.g., water, atmosphere, soil, solid wastes, food, and organisms). This is critical for revealing the regional composition, distribution, sources, behaviors, toxicity, and ecological risks. This session is intended to provide a platform for extensive and in-depth exchanges between scholars in the field of POPs scientific research and experts from governmental and other regulatory authorities, focusing on cutting-edge hotspots, discussing future development, and promoting collaboration and innovation.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Environmental pollutants, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), reach the Arctic primarily through long-range transport (LRT) via atmospheric and oceanic/river currents. Conversely, emerging Arctic contaminants (CEACs) often originate from local sources like industrial, municipal, or infrastructure-related releases. Despite their different origins, these contaminants exert detrimental effects on both the environment and indigenous populations. Moreover, the Arctic is undergoing unprecedented climate changes, including the loss of marine and terrestrial cryosphere. This, coupled with the introduction of new anthropogenic contaminants applied or released to facilitate Arctic resource exploitation, is significantly disrupting Arctic ecosystems. This session aims to comprehensively assess the status of contaminants in the region, encompassing external entry through LRT and local release into the Arctic environment. We will explore various facets of these pollutants, including their sources, potential for long-range transport, environmental fate, spatial and temporal trends, multimedia partitioning processes, and, crucially, their impacts on polar ecosystems and human health amid the changing Arctic dynamics. The implications of ongoing research, regulatory measures, and assessment strategies for CEACs will be also delved. Researchers in different expertise will be invited to present their scientific findings. This session will highlight scientific, chemical, and toxicological perspectives contributing to sustainable pollution mitigation in the Arctic.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Risk to human and ecosystem health following chemical exposure is one of the major global challenges. One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. Faced with the explosively increasing number of chemicals and mixtures that humans and the environment are exposed to, it is crucial to accurately and efficiently assess the biological effects that stakeholders from multi-sectors are concerned about. New Approach Methods (NAMs) are technologies and approaches (including computational modelling, in vitro assays, and testing using non-vertebrate species) that can inform hazard and risk assessment decisions without the use of animal testing. This session will focus on new theories, technologies, and applications of NAMs, aiming to provide new ideas and solutions for the protection of One Health challenges posed by chemicals in our environment.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Legacy and emerging contaminants have co-occurred in the ecosystems, suggesting an urgent challenge to better understand their environmental fate, toxicological effects, and environmental risks in the presence of multiple stressors. In addition to chemicals, other stressors, e.g., increasing temperature, altering salinity, biological viruses, are also interactive with chemical contaminants in the environment. A variety of in silico, in vitro, and in vivo methods have been developed for assessing the risk of chemical mixtures to the ecosystem and human health. This session will therefore welcome presentations showing the developments and applications of new methods for ecological and human health risk assessments, particularly in the presence of multiple stressors. Advances in toxicological mechanisms of mixtures and contributions on other toxicological effects and risks related issues are also encouraged.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Air pollution is the fourth leading risk factor in the world and poses a serious risk to public health. Atmospheric Environmental Chemistry is the basis for understanding air pollution and climate change to study the physical and chemical characteristics of pollutants in the atmospheric environment, such as chemical composition, properties and state of existence, as well as their chemical behaviors, reaction mechanisms and change laws in the process of origin, distribution, migration, transformation, accumulation and elimination, and to explore the impact of air pollution on the natural environment. Focusing on the latest research progress in atmospheric environmental chemistry, this session focuses on (1) the sources and causes of atmospheric compound pollution, (2) regional atmospheric pollution, (3) the formation mechanism of atmospheric new  particles, (4) secondary aerosols and atmospheric heterogeneous chemistry, (5) atmospheric reactive gas budget and environmental effects, and (6) the interaction between atmospheric pollution and climate change. This session will support the UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 that aims to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by regulating emissions and promoting developments in renewable energy.

Co-chairs

Secretary

The session of Environmental Interfacial Processes is dedicated to the in-depth examination of interfacial chemical reactions, with a particular emphasis on understanding the underlying mechanisms and consequences within the context of environmental systems. The focal point of our discussions will extend to pollutant transportation and transformation, elucidating the complex interfacial processes influencing the fate and transport of contaminants across environmental matrices. Additionally, our discourse will encompass interfacial biochemical processes, aiming to unravel the biochemical transformations occurring at the interfaces and their implications for ecosystem health. By fostering an environment conducive to rigorous academic exchange, we seek to advance our collective understanding of these fundamental processes, thereby contributing to the development of informed strategies for environmental management and remediation.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Currently, emerging contaminants have been ubiquitously detected in the environment. However, in soil environment, due to the complex matrices, including soil, water, air and plant, the environmental behavior, transformation pathway and environmental impact of emerging contaminants are still not fully understood. Therefore, it is greatly needed to develop in situ method to monitor the transformation and transportation of emerging contaminants in soil, build mathematics model to describe the environmental behavior of emerging contaminants, reveal the interaction mechanism between emerging contaminants and different soil components, understand the absorption and distribution processes of emerging contaminants in plants, and assess the ecological impacts of emerging contaminants.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Halogenated organic compounds constitute a well-known category of persistent organic pollutants. Due to their refractory, toxic, and bio-accumulative characteristics, halogenated organic compounds have posed significant risks to both ecological environment and human health. The dehalogenation process involves complex chemical and biological reaction mechanisms and influencing factors. Therefore, in-depth research on the chemical and biological dehalogenation reaction mechanisms and optimization of reaction conditions to improve dehalogenation efficiency has become a research hotspot. The migration, transformation, and removal of heavy metals are also important issues of concern for environmental pollution remediation. Heavy metals are easily released to subsurface environments from industrial wastewater, metal mining processes, and e-waste recycling facilities, while often co-exist with halogenated organic compounds in groundwater plumes. This sub-forum will provide an in-depth discussion on environmental dehalogenation and co-transformation of heavy metals. On one hand, explore new progress on the chemical and biological dehalogenation processes, including their corrosion and passivation of dehalogenation functional materials, as well as their potential threats and mechanisms to the colonization, growth, and metabolism of organohalide-respiring bacteria; On the other hand, study how electron transfer during the dehalogenation process affects the valence state transformation and migration of heavy metals. We look forward to providing theoretical and technical support for the synergistic transformation of dehalogenation and heavy metals through in-depth discussions.

Co-chairs

Secretary

This session will focus on trace metals in aquatic environments (freshwater and marine waters), including their environmental transport, speciation, bioavailability, trophic transfer, and toxicity. Metals are considered to be the traditional contaminants in the environments, and their complexity in chemistry and biology has presented a significant challenge for their environmental risk assessment. The session welcomes contributions by using cutting-edged methodology to address the complicated questions of metal environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology. Both laboratory mechanistic study and field study are welcomed.

Co-chairs

Secretary

We welcome reports on cutting-edge advances in the biogeochemical cycling of mercury, the transformation of mercury in organisms (both microbial and non-microbial), the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of mercury in the food chain, and the associated risks of mercury to organisms, ecosystems and humans.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Carbon neutrality is closely related to the global climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental pollution. Ecosystem health connects the biodiversity, and the ecosystem stability and resilience. There are mutual restriction between the carbon neutrality and ecosystem health, maintaining sustainable human development and promoting the consensus of a healthy Earth.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Studies of hazardous environmental pollutants within the realms of environmental chemistry and toxicology are critical to a better understanding and appropriate mitigation of health risks posed by these substances. This session welcomes contributions from all aspects of environmental chemistry and toxicology of priority substances. Invited and contributed presentations will showcase the latest advances in the prioritization of environmental contaminants, technologies for their detection and characterization, understanding of their health effects, and mitigation of their impact. Key topics will include risk-based contaminant prioritization, environmental fate and transport, mechanisms of action in biological systems, and the development of innovative remediation strategies. The session will also explore the role of regulatory frameworks and policies in managing these substances, highlighting the necessity for a multidisciplinary approach to tackle these complex environmental issues. By bringing together scientific insights and policy discussions, this session aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in identifying and managing priority substances. This aligns with global environmental goals and contributes to the broader objective of ensuring ecological integrity and public health safety.

Co-chairs

Secretary

More than 4 million people die early because of outdoor air pollution each year according to the World Health Organization. China is experiencing complex atmospheric pollution, containing either known or unknown components,  it is still unclear which components, either individually or jointly, contribute the most to disease progression, as well as the underlying mechanisms.  Therefore, this session focus on following topics: (1) Confirming the health risk of atmospheric pollution coupled with emissions and atmospheric chemistry; (2) Clarifying the toxicological effects of pollutants individually or jointly and their underlying genetic or eipgenetic mechanisms from real environments; (3) Discriminating toxic components using biological target  as  directed factor and uncovering their molecular interaction for effectively controlling emission to reduce health risks. Collectively, we aim to provide scientific and technological support for toxic identification, risk management and prevention  of regional atmospheric pollution.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Aquatic toxicology is the premier event for scientists and experts to discuss the latest research progress and developments in the areas of pollutants and aquatic organisms and environmental factors. The session not only focuses on the accumulation, distribution and metabolic processes of toxic and hazardous substances in the aquatic organisms, but also highlight the toxic effects and toxicity mechanisms on aquatic organisms. Presentation tracks will look to both laboratory and field studies with a focus on marine / freshwater environments. Far from being knowledge, attendees can take innovation home. We cordially invite you to join the upcoming aquatic toxicology theme. Session topic contains: 1. Effects of harmful substances on molecular, cellular, sub-organismal, organismal, population, community, and ecosystem level; 2. Toxic mechanisms; 3. Genetic disturbances, transgenerational effects, behavioral and adaptive responses; 4. Mixture toxicity assessment; 5. Statistical approaches to predict exposure to and hazards of contaminants.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Marine pollution is one of the major threats to the sustainability of marine biodiversity, fisheries resources and human health. According to the United Nations, 80% of all pollution in seas and oceans comes from land-based activities. In many parts of the world, wastewater is often untreated or under-treated before entering into the ocean. To advance the understanding of regional and global marine pollution problems and jointly explore their solutions, this session will invite scientists and policy makers to share their knowledge and latest advancements in the field of marine pollution and ecotoxicology. The topics may include Environmental behavior, ecotoxicity, and ecological risk of legacy and emerging contaminants in the marine environment; Advanced marine ecotoxicology; Coastal eutrophication, hypoxia, harmful algae blooms and algal toxins; Biological responses to chemical mixtures and/or multiple stressors with consideration of climate change; Innovative technology for pollution monitoring and control; Environmental policies and global initiatives for combating marine pollution. This session will support the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.1 that aims to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution by 2050.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Environmental exposures shape human development and affect public health. It has been estimated that a substantial portion of chronic non-communicable diseases can be caused or exacerbated by exposure to environmental factors. Epigenetic changes could represent an important pathway by which environmental factors influence disease risks, both within and across generations. Epigenetic marks may arise from environmental exposures that in turn interact with the genotype to produce changes in gene expression. Over the past decades, the application of omics to environmental health research results in the production of large data sets on gene expression, transcription factors, proteins, metabolites, adducts and epigenetic regulation of the genome in relation to environmental exposures. By providing information on changes in critical cellular components under the influence of environmental factors, omics profiling greatly facilitates the discovery of biomarkers and helps identify toxicity pathways or adverse outcome pathways. This session, therefore, welcomes research on various aspects of environmental epigenetic and omics. It is hoped that the session will attract researchers from across the globe to share insights on the novel developments and applications of these technologies. Data presented will improve our understanding of the mechanisms of toxicity and lead to valuable new knowledge for environmental health research. 

Co-chairs

Secretary

Pollutants undergo biotransformation in the environment and within organisms.  Reactions include hydrolysis, oxidation-reduction, polymerization, or conjugation. The physicochemical properties of the transformation products may significantly differ from those of the parent compounds. As a consequence, biotransformation may distinctly change the environmental behavior, fate, toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of the parent pollutants. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the fate and effects of both parent compounds and transformation products is crucial for assessing the ecological risks of pollutants. To address this critical scientific question, the topics of this session mainly focus on the biotransformation of various pollutants within environmental media and biological organisms, including: (1) identification of biotransformation products using multiple target and non-target analysis strategies, (2) unveiling the biotransformation pathways, impact factors, and structure-effect relationships, and (3) assessment of the bioavailability and toxicological effects of both parent compounds and their transformation products, aiming to elucidate the underlying mechanisms behind these toxic effects.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Environment, especially agriculture related environmental factors dramatically affect the food quality and safety, to fundamentally attribute to the intervention of human health. It is critical to identify the potential connection or interaction of agricultural environment, food and human health to provide guidelines for in-depth research and understanding on related knowledge. The parallel session with the keynote of 'Agricultural Environment, Food and Health' is proposed to understand the correlation and interaction of environment, food and human health, to either emphasize highlighted insights on defined theme or provide platform for communication and inspiration. Theme covers topics of agricultural environment, environment and food safety, food hazards, risk communications, human health intervention, etc., to bring multidisciplinary professionals to share your insights, and enhance research related to agricultural environment, food and health.  Related topics connected with environment, food and health are more than welcomed to enhance the understanding of their relationship, or inspire multidisciplinary investigation.

Co-chairs

Secretary

The session will delve into critical issues associated with environmental pollution in water, soil and sediment ecosystems, emphasizing the need for sustainable solutions for exposure mitigation. The key topics may include: 1) Analytical Techniques for Pollution Characterization: Gain insights into the diverse sources of environmental pollution, ranging from industrial emissions to agricultural runoff, to understand how different contaminants affect our ecosystems; 2) Pollution Impact Assessment: Explore cutting-edge methodologies for evaluating the environmental impact posed by water, soil and sediment pollutants. Learn about advanced modeling techniques, omics strategies, and data analysis tools used for impact assessment; 3) Case Studies: Engage with real-world case studies that highlight successful pollution mitigation efforts and risk management strategies. Understand how communities and industries have addressed environmental challenges, paving the way for a healthier environment and 4) Emerging Technologies: Discover the latest technological advancements contributing to pollution control and exposure / risk reduction. From sensor technologies to artificial intelligence applications, explore innovative solutions that hold promise for a more sustainable future. This session aims to foster a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between human activities and the environment, encouraging dialogue and collaboration for effective pollution management and exposure / risk mitigation. Join us as we explore pathways towards a greener and more resilient planet.

Co-chairs

Secretary

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) concludes that climate risks are appearing faster and will become more severe sooner than previously expected, and it will be harder to adapt with increased global heating. The WMO provisional State of the Global Climate report confirms that 2023 is set to be the warmest year on record, which was around 1.40 oC above the 1850-1900 average. At the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), 123 countries signed the UAE Climate and Health Declaration to “place health at the heart of climate action”, sounding the alarm on the severe health implications of climate change. Climate change is impacting health in a myriad of ways, including by leading to death and illness from increasingly frequent extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, storms and floods, and the disruption of food systems. Climate change alters host defenses, vectors, pathogens, habitat and has implications for the spread of infectious disease. Furthermore, the effects of climate change on chemical contaminants and their potential consequences to human wellbeing are of paramount importance, as they pose overlapping risks. This branch venue welcomes, but is not limited to, presentations on the above topics.

Co-chairs

Secretary

The global environmental contamination crisis that we are currently experiencing is particularly complicated. Global environmental contamination and ecological damage and health issues that result from it are becoming more and more obvious. The study of water quality criteria and health provide an important scientific basis for environmental protection agencies to safeguard human health and ecosystems. The topics may include environmental criteria and standard (the scope of applied indicators, criteria compatibility, connectivity between criteria and standards); emerging contaminants (contaminated sources and processes, toxic effects and mechanisms, health effects); and risk assessment of environmental health (exposed characters, methods of health risk assessment, risk identification and control). This session will support are indispensable theoretical foundations and scientific basis for environmental protection agencies to formulate water quality standards, evaluate water quality, and conduct effective water quality management processes, as well as provide scientific help for the development of environmental protection and ecosystem to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.1.

Co-chairs

Secretary

The exposome encompasses the comprehensive understanding of the impacts of a lifelong total environmental exposure on human health. The exposome includes not only physical, biological, and chemical exposures but also any environmental factors that interacts with humans, such as socio-economic status, behaviors, psychiatric stress and so on. The Asia Pacific region, with its varied geography, climate, and industrial backdrop, faces unique environmental challenges. Establishing a dedicated network for the meticulous monitoring of the exposome is essential to comprehend the intricate link between the environment and health specific to this region. This session is devoted to constructing a robust and dynamic network, focusing on the surveillance of exposome in the Asia Pacific and its subsequent impact on public health. Such an initiative is crucial in advancing our understanding of the exposome and its public health ramifications, thereby guiding the development of effective interventions and policies to mitigate health risks associated with environmental contaminants.

Co-chairs

Secretary

Human development and health have faced unprecedented threats from environmental crises today, especially climate change, biodiversity loss, and the contamination of toxic chemicals. The World Health Organization (WHO) reveals a stark reality: over 90% of cancers are associated with the environmental pollution. In July 2022, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared the access to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a universal human right. Given the accelerating pace of global research on environmental health, the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the American Chemical Society, have launched the Environment & Health (E&H) journal. This journal is committed to exploring the relationship between the environment and human health. As a premier journal for multidisciplinary research, E&H aspires to foster sustainable socio-economic advancement by disseminating groundbreaking, impactful, and innovative research. To expand the impact of scientific discoveries in the E&H journal on planetary health and booster campaigns, the editorial team is organizing the Session of Environment & Health Forum at SETAC Asia-Pacific 14th Biennial Meeting. The forum theme is "Exploring the Nature of Environmental Health and Building the Foundation of Planetary Health".

Co-chairs

Secretary

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) pose a critical environmental and public health threat. Their proliferation in diverse interfaces (particles, colloids, biofilms) and migration in multi-media  (soil-water-air-bio) remain key knowledge gaps. This session will focus on ARGs' interfacial dynamics, co-selection mechanisms and dissemination pathways. Invited talks will cover multiple topics, including but not limited to: 1) Interfacial amplification and transport: Uncovering how ARGs amplify and migrate among media and on multiple interfaces; 2) Regional and global transmission: Unveiling the hidden routes of ARGs transmission across regions and continents; 3) Population exposure risk assessment: Quantifying the threat posed by ARGs to human health.

Chairs

Secretary

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have attracted a global concern as “forever chemicals”. The industrial uses of PFAS have extended to >200 diverse applications of >1400 individual PFAS. The two most common homologues, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), have been banned globally and are listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Recently, the production of these compounds has shifted to shorter-chain analogues and compounds containing ether and double-bond structures. As a result, idenfying PFAS analogue profiles in the environment are changing, and traditional analytical methods based on limited known standards cannot effectively reveal the complete PFAS contamination profiles. Nontarget analysis based on high-resolution mass spectrometry has revealed an increasing number of emerging PFAS analogues. On the other hand, regulations and criteria for PFAS have become increasingly stringent. This has put enormous pressure on PFAS pollution control and international compliance. Therefore, the purpose of this session topic is to bring together top experts in the field of PFAS identification and pollution control from around the world to discuss the development direction of PFAS, approaches for identifying their environmental risks, technical bottlenecks in pollution control, and to promote the international influence of the environmental discipline.

Chairs

Secretary

Novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), nitrogenous flame retardants (NFRs), and phthalate esters (PAEs) are commonly used as additives in commercial products. With the phase out of several congeners of BFRs, the use of these alternatives of emerging concern has continued to increase over the years. As a result, large amounts of these compounds have been released into the environment and detected in air, dust, water, soil, sediment, sludge, and biota. Some of these compounds are environmentally persist and exhibit toxicity to organisms, including carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, developmental toxicity, and endocrine disruption. Therefore, the environmental behavior and effects of these compounds are gaining increasing concern. The purpose of this session is to bring together top experts in the field of emerging flame retardants and plasticizers from Asia-Pacific regions and globally to discuss transport, transformation, toxicity, and health effects of these chemicals. Accordingly, this session is aimed to provide fundamental and state-of-art knowledge for development of effective strategies to minimize the potential adverse effects of these compounds as well as to guide risk assessment and proper management of these emerging flame retardants and plasticizers.

Chairs

Secretary

The COVID-19 has caused 6.9 million deaths globally in the last three years, while cancer is still a leading cause of death worldwide, with 28 million deaths in the same period. The former is related to the acute risks of pathogens (including the coronavirus), while the latter is partly related to the chronic effects of environmental pollutants (including disinfection byproducts). Disinfection is considered one of the most significant advances and greatest achievements in public health. Disinfection strikes a balance between controlling the acute risks of pathogens and the chronic effects of disinfection byproducts. This session will focus on two topics: (1) Innovative technologies and practices related to the disinfection of drinking water and wastewater as well as the disinfection of food, household, clinics, floors, surfaces and lavatories; (2) Detection, formation, control, and toxicity evaluation of emerging and overall disinfection byproducts from natural organic matter, effluent organic matter, micropollutants, and vegetables. It will bring together international and national scholars in the field of disinfection and disinfection byproducts to exchange views, ideas and thoughts.

Chairs

Secretary

With the development of nanotechnology, the ecological and environment safety and health risks of nanomaterials have become an issue of great concern. Due to the unique physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles, they can exhibit complex environmental behaviors and diverse biological effects in actual environments, including morphological transformation and environmental corona formation, environmental transport, biological absorption and accumulation, and transport and transformation in vivo. In addition, nanoparticles can also interact with other pollutants in the environment, such as organic pollutants and heavy metals, thereby affecting these pollutants behavior, uptake and effects in the environment and organisms (e.g., alterations to toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics). Therefore, clarifying the mechanisms of these environmental processes will help predict and control the environmental and health risks of nanomaterials, ensuring ecological and environmental safety. The areas that this session will focus on, include: Characterization methods and environmental behavior research techniques for nanomaterials in complex environments; the morphological transformation and bioavailability of nanomaterials in various environmental media; the mechanisms of toxicity of nanomaterials on animals, plants, and microorganisms at different trophic levels, at molecular, cellular, organ, individual organism, population, and community levels; the behavior of nanomaterials at interfaces; the joint toxicity and risk assessment of nanomaterials and other pollutants; The application of nanotechnology in environmental detection and treatment of pollution and disease.

Chairs

Secretary

The research on environmental microplastics has made significant progress. Our session aims to exchange the latest achievements on the characterization and source tracing, environmental process, ecological and health risks of environmental microplastics, and to discuss the current problems and challenges that faced by researchers, such as characterization methods for nanoplastics, large-scale environmental migration, environmental fate, and risk assessment of microplastics. We warmly welcome researchers and students from around the world to participate in our session, particularly, encourage scientists from interdisciplinary fields to share their work and views on microplastics.

Chairs

Secretary

In the face of escalating environmental challenges posed by emerging pollutants, the imperative to establish a robust connection between scientific insights and effective policy is more critical than ever. This session serves as a crucial forum for catalyzing discussions on strategies to fortify the collaboration between the scientific community and policymakers. With a succinct focus on navigating the complexities associated with the identification and regulation of new pollutants, our objective is to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and pragmatic policy implementation. By cultivating a deeper understanding of emerging pollutants, we aim to pave the way for evidence-based regulations that are not only scientifically rigorous but also feasible and adaptive. We collectively contribute to shaping a sustainable future through an enhanced science-policy interface. Let's engage in thoughtful dialogue and collaborative efforts to address the challenges posed by new pollutants and work towards fostering a harmonious coexistence between scientific advancements and effective policy solutions.

Chairs

Secretary