Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are substances that have been detected in the environment, but which are currently not included in routine monitoring programmes and whose fate, behaviour and ecotoxicological effects are not well understood.
CECs are substances that could have been introduced in the environment for a long time but whose occurrence has only recently been pinpointed, or substances that have recently been introduced on the market. CECs may be substances present in the environment from a long time ago, but interest and awareness of their presence in the marine environment has started relatively recently. Additionally there are newer substances that are not well-known that are also present in the environment due to their continuous input or to their pseudo-persistence.
The main goal of this session is to offer a general overview of the relevance and potential risk of CECs (e.g., pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, plastic additives) in the marine environment, considering their occurrence, distribution, bioaccumulation and effects on marine ecosystems.
We invite scientists and experts to submit abstracts and present the current state of the knowledge about CECs, focusing on:
- Occurrence of CECs in the marine environment
- Occurrence and distribution of CECs (e.g., pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, plastic additives) in seawater, sediments and marine litter: fate and seasonal variations.
- Bioaccumulation of CECs in marine organisms: identification of potential sentinels.
- Biological effects of CECs in the marine environment
- Assessment and impact of CECs on marine organisms: biological effects.
- Future challenges
- Identification of gaps in relation to CECs in the marine environment.
- Target and non-target analysis as monitoring tools for CECs in marine samples.
- Future challenges of the ICES monitoring programmes to consider the most relevant CECs.
