Risk assessment

A comprehensive Norwegian study has investigated the environmental effects of pharmaceutical discharges via wastewater from hospitals. Some drugs may pose a hazard to the environment, while for several drugs we lack knowledge about the effects on aquatic life.

ANTIfoulants, VEterinary MediciNal Products and Organic Material can affect marine sediment organisms, but to what extent?

ENTRANS (Investigating the ENvironmental impacts of TRANSformed engineered nanomaterials released from wastewater treatment plants) is an interdisciplinary four-year project funded by the Research Council of Norway (Nano2021 call) and brings together scientists from fields of environmental, material science and material characterization, chemistry, biology, nanotoxicology and risk assessment.

The Arctic environment is facing evident changes such as temperature increase and consequent rapid decline in the sea ice. These conditions will favour the development of industrial activities, e.g., oil & gas exploration and aquaculture. We need to assess the potential environmental risks from the anticipated industrial development in the Arctic, and to do that, we need to develop robust methods and approaches that characterise the pollution pathway from the emission to the environment to the display of adverse outcomes in the biota.

The section covers all aspects of environmental hazards and risk assessments of chemicals. We are continuously developing new systems and improving existing methods, to better assess the effects of chemical substances in both freshwater and marine environments.