ST 2.2 – Training Workshop on Pollution Assessment and Management
“Environmental risk assessment (ERA) aids environmental management of chemical contaminants,” said
State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (SKLMP) director Professor Kenneth M. Y. Leung at the PAM
training workshop, held on 7 November 2024 at the EAS Congress in Xiamen.
“Environmental risk assessment (ERA) aids environmental management of chemical contaminants,” said
State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (SKLMP) director Professor Kenneth M. Y. Leung at the PAM
training workshop, held on 7 November 2024 at the EAS Congress in Xiamen.
Over 20 participants from various East Asian Seas countries joined the workshop, exchanging information
and learning about cutting-edge environmental risk assessment and management techniques.
Prof. Leung introduced the concept, workflow and successful cases of environmental risk assessment,
which is helpful in understanding and predicting the relationships between stressors and ecological
effects. The ERA can also be applied in assessing the risk of introduction of exotic species for
aquaculture or the aquarium trade. Prof. Xuemei Mao also emphazied the requirement of international
efforts using standardilized surveillance methodology in ARG monitoring under the ‘one health’
framework. She also gave constructive suggestions on the proper analysis technologies and bioinformatic
tools.
This training session focus on new pollutants like antibiotic resistance genes and their impacts on marine
ecosystems and public health, providing insights into addressing Global Challenges and Local Solutions.
Key points were that environmental risk assessment tools serve as vital tools for the effective
management of chemical contaminants in our ecosystems, that standardized quantitative methods are
essential for environmental ARG surveillance and risk assessment and that training programs and
research collaborations can equip researchers and policymakers with the essential tools and knowledge
to effectively tackle both local and global environmental challenges.
The session aligned squarely with Action 2 of the Xiamen Ministerial Declaration as it considers science-
based data and information to support planning, policy development and investment decisions, while promoting innovative technology to support ocean monitoring and protect the ocean from overfishing,
habitat destruction, pollution and biodiversity loss.
Prof. Leung announced future SKLMP workshops on Effective Risk Communication and encouraged
regional collaboration for global comparison of standardized methods in ARGs and organic pollutants.
“ERA is very useful in environmental management, particularly for the risk management of chemical
contaminants, seafood safety and harmful algal blooms,” he concluded.
