– Sea-dumped chemical munitions – ecotoxicological hazard?
14 04 2022
Category: IM Seminar
We cordially invite you to the institute seminar: on Monday 25st of April at 2 pm Wojciech Wilczyński from the Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology will present a seminar entitled „ Chemical weapons dumped in the Baltic Sea: ecotoxicological risk assessment”.
Abstract:
During the 20th century, more than half a million tons of chemical weapons were dumped into the seas. Recently, munitions deposited at the sea bottom have started corroding and their contents (chemical warfare agents) are being released into the bottom waters and sediments. Because the problem is relatively new, unaddressed data gaps do not allow for an accurate ecological risk assessment of the sea-dumping of chemical weapons.
I am working on my PhD thesis as part of my research project PRELUDIUM 19 „The effects of chemical warfare agents on several life history parameters and the gastrointestinal microbiota of fish”. This project includes metagenomic and molecular analyses, as well as life table experiments, which will provide insights into the toxicity of chemical warfare agents in fish.