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Let’s go visual, a picture is worth a thousand words: How to explain Emerging

Contaminants using animations.

Conference Paper · May 2018

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Natalia Ospina-Alvarez Simon Schneider

Universität Potsdam Universität Potsdam
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Emerging Contaminants arising from agriculture: The case of water pollution in the interaction of estuarine-river watersheds in tropical environments
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 were publicized using modern communication tools such as social
media, in tandem with more typical scientific means such as
presentations at meetings and journal publications. The presenters will
discuss how the collaboration lead to grant applications and ultimately
secured funding, successfully incorporated service learning and research
opportunities for students, pursued and communicated meaningful
research and managed teaching across very different disciplines.
WEPC13 Let's go visual, a picture is worth a thousand words: How
to explain Emerging Contaminants using animations N. Ospina-
Alvarez, S. Schneider, University of Potsdam / Institute of Earth
and Environmental Sciences. The development of new technologies has
enhanced the use of several elements in information and communication
technologies, semiconductors, electronic displays and ‘green energy’
related technologies. Platinum, indium, thallium are good examples of
those kind of elements, that during long time were laboratory curiosities
but that now have an important place as raw materials in high-tec
products (optics, electronics, medicine). However, many of these
elements are toxic (e.g. thallium), during the mining processes of its
extraction can be transferred to the water, increasing its availability in
the environment. Basic research about Technology-Critical Elements
(TCE) and Emerging Contaminants (EC) is needed, but also is part of
the research process to transfer this knowledge to a general public.
Within this framework, the University of Potsdam and GeoEd
(http://geoeducation.de/) started a pilot project to develop teaching and
learning material related to emerging contaminants in the environment.
In this presentation, we will show how a complex topic, can be easily
included in modern science classes, going from a general concept (TCEs
and EC) to a particular study case (phytoextraction of thallium from
soils using mustard plants). All the material produced implements the
Open Educational resources (OER) concept, which aims towards free
access, documents with open license and media useful for teaching,
learning, as well as for research purposes. The OER concept allows to
new initiatives and projects, produce educational material accessible
without time-wise or spatial barriers. Acknowledgment: This project is
supported by an Outreach Grant of AXA Research Fund (Paris, France)
and the Research Focus of Earth Sciences (RFES), University of
Potsdam (Germany). Key-words: Emerging Contaminants, Technology-
Critical Elements, raw materials, science animations, outreach
WEPC14 Improving transparency, consistency and efficiency of
ecotoxicological teaching: development of an open online textbook
Environmental Toxicology C. van Gestel, Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam / Ecological Science; N. van Straalen, Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam / Department of Ecological Science; T. Hamers, VU
University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) /
Department of Environment and Health; S. Moes, Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam / UBVU; M. Kraak, University of Amsterdam / IBED-
FAME; J. Parsons, University of Amsterdam / IBED-ELD; S. Droge,
University of Amsterdam/IBED Institute / IBED; J. Hermens, Utrecht
University / Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences; M.G. Vijver, CML
Leiden University / Conservation Biology; N. van den Brink,
Wageningen University / Dept of Toxicology; A.M. Ragas, Radbound
University / Department of Environmental Science; A. Löhr, F. van
Belleghem, Open University. Although several textbooks are available,
teaching environmental toxicology in general seems to suffer from a
lack of a well-elaborated, up-to-date and consistent textbook that covers
all aspects of the field. As a consequence, every university is developing
its own training materials in addition to a textbook, but only little of this
material is available online. And if materials are online, they are not
consistent, lack novelty or do not cover the entire field. A Dutch
consortium therefore took the initiative to develop an open online
textbook on Environmental Toxicology that should cover the field in its
full width, including aspects of environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology,
toxicology and risk assessment. The initiative is sponsored by the
Netherlands Ministry of Education. The project aims at developing an
online open access book on Environmental Toxicology that is useful for
training at BSc, MSc and higher levels. The book will be designed in a
modular way, each module having a clear training goal/attainment level
SETAC Europe 28th Annual Meeting
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and flagged with a number of keywords. The book will also contain
tools for self-study and training, like exercises and questions. With the
book, we aim at improving quality, continuity and transparency of the
education in environmental toxicology. We also want to make sure that
fundamental insights on fate and effects of chemicals gained in the past
are combined with recent approaches of effect assessment and molecular
analysis of mechanisms causing toxicity. To guarantee quality of the
book and associated training materials, we aim at having 1-2 authors for
each module and also 1-2 reviewers from outside the team of authors. In
addition, an advisory board will be involved in supervising the project,
as well as educational advisors, while the project team will serve as an
editorial board. The project team, consisting of environmental
toxicologists and chemists from six Dutch universities, does not possess
all expertise to cover the width of the field. We therefore solicit
contributions from as many colleagues as possible from within the
SETAC community. With that, we hope we can produce a book that is
written and supported by SETAC, that is covering the entire field, and is
useful for training within e.g. the SETAC Europe Certified Risk
Assessor (CRA) programme. The publication as an open online book
will allow continuous updating of the book, providing a possible role of
SETAC in sustaining the book.
WEPC15 Policy learning through professional forums in the field of
environmental toxicology: What role for the Society of
Environmental Toxicology and Chemicals (SETAC)? M.
Mondou, McGill University - Macdonald Campus / Dept Natural
Resource Sciences; G. Hickey, McGill University - Macdonald Campus
/ Natural Resource Sciences; S. Maguire, McGill University; D. Crump,
Environment and Climate Change Canada / National Wildlife Research
Centre; M. Hecker, University of Saskatchewan / School of the
Environment & Sustainability and Toxicology Centre; N. Basu, McGill
University / Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Leveraging more than a hundred years of experience and knowledge
(Gallo 2008), modern toxicology has crystalized in a set of highly
codified and standardized practices that are used by industry and
regulatory agencies internationally to assess the risk of chemicals to the
environment. Toxicity testing methods using whole animal studies have
long provided the general framework of instrumental beliefs concerning
the most appropriate way to pursue the goals of environmental
toxicology. While such in vivo methods are useful for determining the
acceptable levels of single chemicals in the environment, they have a
number of limitations that are broadly accepted within the profession.
Most significantly, conventional in vivo testing methods are very
expensive and time-consuming, relying on large numbers of animals to
deliver confidence in the results. Such recognized shortcomings have led
to sub-optimal policy outcomes that are increasingly being
acknowledged by all stakeholders. For example, the general public and
regulatory agencies are being forced to overlook the potential effects of
most chemicals in the environment due to a lack of data. On the other
hand, the chemical industry is being frustrated by slower access to
potentially lucrative markets. Beyond human welfare concerns, the
welfare of test animals is also a major consideration, particularly for
groups mobilized around the issue of animal rights. Alternative testing
methods are being increasingly available, such as using in silico
computational models and in vitro cell- or genomics-based testing
strategies (Waters and Fostel 2004). For more than a decade, these
alternatives have been discussed and debated in a range of high profile
forums (National Research Council 2007) as offering potential answers
to the various challenges facing chemical risk assessment. However, the
accepted regulatory approaches to determining the risk of chemicals in
environmental toxicology have remained, for the most part, unaffected.
This poster explores the role of SETAC in policy learning using primary
survey data collected from participants in previous SETAC forums. We
will summarize the instrumental and core policy beliefs concerning
alternative testing methods of respondents and assess their self-reported
policy learning experiences at SETAC. We will then consider the
significance of SETAC as a professional forum through which policy
actors learn and adapt to emerging challenges in regulatory science.
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