Investigating the fate of chemicals in the environment – Gabriel Sigmund, Wageningen University & Research

29 Apr

On this episode I speak with Gabriel Sigmund, Assistant Professor at Wageningen University and Research, and board member of the International Panel on Chemical Pollution (IPCP).

We discuss:

Gabriel’s background and research interests
How the fate of charged organic compounds differs from neutral compounds
The issue of mobility in the environment and the concern around persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT) substances
Complex interactions controlling sorption and other fate processes in soil
The ongoing importance of laboratory experiments in the age of AI
Data availability and data quality challenges for persistence and mobility assessments
Implications of the new PMT/vPvM hazard classes under the EU CLP regulation
Simplification and essential use concepts for chemicals management
The growing concern around trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)
Pesticides as a potential source of TFA to the environment
How differences in worldviews influences the debate on chemicals
Activities of the SETAC Persistence Science Interest Group

Apologies for some sound issues on this one.

Correction: During the discussion on TFA I commented that I had seen evidence in a presentation by Freeling that concentrations in plant samples had apparently increased four-fold between 2010 and 2020. Having revisited the published work (link below), the approximately four-fold increase was reported over the observation period 1989-2020.

Sorption and Mobility of Charged Organic Compounds: How to Confront and Overcome Limitations in Their Assessment | Environmental Science & Technology

The Global Threat from the Irreversible Accumulation of Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA) | Environmental Science & Technology

Pesticides can be a substantial source of trifluoroacetate (TFA) to water resources - ScienceDirect

‘Alarming’ increase in levels of forever chemical TFA found in European wines | Pfas | The Guardian

Levels and Temporal Trends of Trifluoroacetate (TFA) in Archived Plants: Evidence for Increasing Emissions of Gaseous TFA Precursors over the Last Decades | Environmental Science & Technology Letters

Pollution is Colonialism - book by Max Liboiron (2021)

SETAC Persistence Science Interest Group

Webinar recording: Addressing Extreme Persistence – Identification, Behavior and Management of “Forever Chemicals” Beyond PFAS

Upcoming webinar: How to increase understanding of microbial inocula in biodegradation testing?

SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting

In Memoriam: John Parsons

Themed collection: Transformation Products and Mixtures – Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts