Technical conference on passive samplers and MONITOOL project takes place in the Basque Country
Under the framework of MONITOL project, the last 12th March AZTI hosted a technical conference on passive samplers with the aim of presenting the MONITOOL project and the use of the most commonly used passive sampling techniques to evaluate the contamination of the environment.
Dr. Jean-Luis Gonzalez (IFREMER), Dr Iratxe Menchaca and Dr María Jesús Belzunce from AZTI explained to the attendees the main lines of the project and recent results, the advantages of passive sampling methods and how passive samplers have been used in MONITOOL campaigns as well as in other previous case studies. Dr Natalia Montero from the University of Cagliari presented a case study on the use of passive samplers to evaluate the impact of human activities in harbours.
Among other passive samplers, the Diffusive Gradient in Thin Films (DGT) were presented in depth to the participants as it is the passive sampling device used in MONITOOL. Among other issues, the advantages that they could have over other current methods to control heavy metal levels for coastal and transitional waters in the compliance of the Water Framework Directive were discussed.
The Conference took place in one of the headquarters of AZTI Foundation, located in Pasaia harbour, in the Basque Country. It was attended, among others, by representatives of government agencies, universities, environmental consultants, research centres, students, port authorities and laboratories.