Plenary & Keynote Speakers

Dr. Ethel Eljarrat
Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (DAEA-CSIC), Spain
Plenary Speaker

With more than 30 years of research, I am currently the Director of the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA) of the CSIC. I am also Head of the group ‘Environmental and Water Chemistry for Human Health’ (ONHEALTH).

I have extensive experience in the development of analytical methods for emerging contaminants, as well as in the assessment of the impact of persistent organic pollutants on the environment and on living beings, including humans. During my PhD, I contributed to the start-up of the first dioxin analysis laboratory in Spain, giving it national and international prestige, and participating as a reference laboratory in the 1999 food crisis following the contamination of animal feed in Belgium. Subsequently, my research in the field of flame retardants has contributed to the generation of scientific evidence for the inclusion of compounds such as PBDEs and HBCD in the list of banned POPs of the Stockholm Convention. Similarly, my line of research on pesticide issues generated pioneering results on the behaviour of the most widely used insecticides, pyrethroids, which were considered ‘ideal’ until our studies showed their accumulation in aquatic and terrestrial organisms, and even in humans.

Part of my current scientific activity focuses on the chemical impact of plastic pollution. I have developed an analytical methodology capable of determining a wide variety of plasticizers, and I have carried out the first studies showing the presence and accumulation of these pollutants in different marine organisms, including fish for human consumption. We have also studied human exposure to these plasticizers through inhalation, with studies on indoor air samples, as well as through ingestion, with analyses on beverage and food samples. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, I initiated a new research line, pioneered worldwide, to assess the environmental and human health risks from the use of face masks. The results obtained led to the achievement of different research projects and contracts with companies with the aim of using less contaminated materials in the manufacture of face masks and other commercial products, and thus controlling environmental contamination from the process of manufacturing materials.

Topic of Plenary Talk: The Problem of Toxic Pollutants in the Circular Economy
Plenary Abstract