Environmental forensics

Environmental forensics

Identifying the source of contamination in the environment is of key concern when apportioning blame… you do not want to point the finger in the wrong direction! Likewise, you do not want to miss the culprit and allow polluters to get away with it. The implementation of the EU Environmental Liability Directive into National Law will be happening soon, although there are a number of issues still to resolve; the initial consultation period for the UK implementation is now closed and a second consultation on the draft legislation will be open soon (DEFRA—http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/liability/index.htm). One of the key aspects of this Directive is having the polluter remediate or otherwise compensate for contamination. Therefore, there is a need to make quantitative measures of the condition of the environment, and also what the “baseline” might be… sounds like an advert for JEM really.

The Royal Society of Chemistry and JEM sponsored a conference held at Durham University in September, 2006 entitled “Environmental Forensics: Chemical, Physical and Biological Methods”. The aim of this meeting was to bring together a range of leading practitioners from around the world who have experience in environmental monitoring methods that could be applied to this new Directive. The programme included some excellent keynote reviews of the state of knowledge both on the Directive itself (Fiona Dickson, Maynards–Légiste), through to specific markers for oil hydrocarbon analysis (Zhendi Wang, Environment Canada).

Several of the presentations have been peer-reviewed and appear in this special issue. Michael Goldstein presented a case for the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners (CRFP) as a mechanism by which those in the field can be accredited in such a way that the judiciary may have some confidence in us as scientists. There is a need to ensure that Expert Witnesses are indeed expert and also are up-to-date on the latest methods and approaches. While the CRFP was primarily designed for the Police Forensic Service, it might also provide that degree of confidence needed in the environmental sphere as well.

Brian Astin made the case for Environmental Forensics to be a true undergraduate degree programme, a topic dear to my own heart, and one I covered in an earlier Editorial for JEM (J. Environ. Monit., 2007, 9, 141–142). Astin et al. approach the subject from the legal and regulatory aspect and show that it can be more than a “marketing gimmick”.

Among the scientific methods, Kevin Thomas was able to show that bioassays for contaminant groups were possible using the common blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) as an integrating organism. However, the Yeast Estrogen Screen did not detect any contaminants above the limit of detection as the compounds were potentially too water soluble to be bioaccumulated by the mussel. This is contrasted with arylhydrocarbon receptor agonists which are intrinsically less water soluble. This highlights the need for the correct tool for the job.

Claudio Bravo-Linares outlined a new method for detecting trace concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soils and sediments using SPME. The improved detection limits with this approach quantified 50+ compounds in a single analysis and they were able to demonstrate similarities in the VOC signatures at different locations that had similar geochemical characteristics. These methods may form the basis of tracking techniques for sub-surface biochemical reactions or contaminant plume mapping.

Several other excellent presentations were made and the peer-reviewed papers are published in this issue of JEM. For instance, Michael Hartnett used physical dispersion modelling methods to show where scallops may be found. Their approach used the dispersal of the larvae in the plankton to show where the adults may be found. Ian Weeks outlined molecular methods for the rapid assessment of bathing waters to identify reasons why they may have failed the EU Bathing Waters Directive. Related to this, Carl Stapleton showed the results of an icrew (EU Interreg Project) study on the Leven catchment: paired bacterial and viral plaque analyses were used to indicate source apportionment (human or cattle) under low flow conditions and after rainfall events.

Environmental Forensics appears to be established as a research and teaching subject now and it is hoped further conferences may spring from this initial meeting. The feedback was very good from the delegates and I would personally like to thank my colleagues on the Organising Committee, the outstanding keynote speakers and all who attended. The RSC organisation of the event was excellent and was key to the success of the conference.

Stephen M. Mudge

Chair of the Scientific Committee, School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor

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