The trial lecture is: "Antimicrobial resistance in the aquatic environment due to chemical pollution: a potential human health threat?".
Time and place: June 12, 2023 10:15 AM, Zoom and Nucleus, Bikuben, The Kristine Bonnevie building.
The events will also be live streamed using Zoom. The host of the session will moderate the technicalities while the chair of the defence will moderate the events.
The events opens for participation just before they start, and closes for new participants approximately 15 minutes after it has begun.
Main research findings
Pharmaceuticals are an important part of human pollution. Their use has been linked to several well-known wildlife crises, such as a population collapse of vultures in India and Pakistan, or the feminisation of fish populations in European rivers. However, the majority of environmental impacts are unknown and unquantified.
We developed methods for predicting the environment concentrations of pharmaceuticals in Norwegian waters from sales records. We then used these predictions to assess which pharmaceuticals pose the greatest risk to the Norwegian environment. Finally, we developed a set of Bayesian networks – graphical, probabilistic models – to forecast the probability of different magnitudes of pharmaceutical risk to the environment. By varying the starting scenario, we were able to forecast how the risk of a panel of pharmaceuticals might change under different plausible futures.
Our work yields a useful foundation for the probabilistic environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals. When paired with environmental measurement and other risk assessment approaches, it will contribute to a better understanding of how pharmaceuticals affect the environment. This will allow for more targeted and efficient risk management.
Adjudication committee
Professor Karel De Schamphelaere, University of Gent
Assistant professor Marlene Ågerstrand, Univerisity of Stockholm
Professor II Johan Øvrevik, University of Oslo
Chair of defence
Professor Bente Edvardsen, University of Oslo
Supervisors
Senior Research Scientist Merete Grung, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)
Senior Research Scientist Jannicke Moe, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)
Chief Scientist Knut Erik Tollefsen, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)
Dr. Mohammad Nouri Sharikabad, Norwegian Institute for Public Health, (FHI)
Professor Ketil Hylland, University of Oslo (UiO)