Regionally Based
Assessment of Persistent
Toxic Substances
GEF
MEDITERRANEAN REGION
Second Regional Workshop
on
Assessment of (eco)toxicological impact of PTS and transboundary transport
3-5 April 2002
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome (Italy)
Dear Colleague,
Please find enclosed herewith preliminary information and organizational details of the 2nd
Technical Workshop of the UNEP/GEF Project "Regionally Based Assessment of Persistent
Toxic Substances (RBA PTS)" where you are invited to participate.
This is a major step forward to the global assessment of PTS, which will lead to the
identification of priorities for future GEF intervention to control, reduce or eliminate releases
of PTS, at national, regional or global levels, and stimulate research through the
identification of data gaps.
This Technical Workshop will be devoted to the evaluation of the harmful effects of PTS on
the environment and human health in the Mediterranean Region, as well as to the assessment
of transboundary transport within the region.
The Workshop will combine individual presentations with working group sessions for
discussion of major issues (e.g. comparison of measured data with health or environmental
quality criteria, regionally derived ecotoxicological data and appropriate test species, marine
and atmospheric circulation, river and groundwater flows, etc.). A closing plenary session is
intended for making recommendations and identifying priorities for future action and the
delineation of the Regional report (structure enclosed).
Thus, I am kindly asking to take with you all the information you may have (reprints and
copies of articles, unpublished data, etc.) for contributing to the assessment and to the
success of the Workshop.
I thank you very much for your cooperation and look forward to meeting you in Rome.
Sincerely,
J. Albaigés
Regional Coordinator
Department of Environmental Chemistry (CSIC)
E-mail:albqam@cid.csic.es
Jordi Girona Salgado, 18-26
Fax:+34-93-2045904
08034-Barcelona, Spain
Tel: +34-93-4006152.
Regional Workshops
Assessment of (eco)toxicological impact of PTS and transboundary transport
3-5 April 2002
Istituto Superiore di Sanità
Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161 Roma, Italy
Tentative Agenda
Tuesday, April 02, 2002
Afternoon or
Arrival, accommodation
Hotel Villa Torlonia (Rome)
evening
Wednesday, April 03, 2002
09.00 9.30
Opening addresses
A. di Domenico (Director ISS, Rome)
P. Whylie (UNEP-Chemicals, Geneva)
Overview of the GEF RBA PTS Project
J. Albaigés
Presentation of the background documents
9.30 - 10.30
Global and regional distribution pathways of PTS
K.C. Jones (UK) POPs in the global environment: monitoring
strategies to understand and predict global fate and behaviour.
M. Millan (Spain) Atmospheric transport mechanisms in the W.
Mediterranean.
10.30 - 11.00
Coffee break
11.00 - 13.00
Regional transport of pollutants
G. Kallos (Greece) Long-range atmospheric transport of pollutants
from Europe to Africa
E. Stephanou (Greece) Atmospheric Occurrence and Processes of
PAHs, PCBs and PCDD/Fs over the eastern Mediterranean.
A. Yilmaz (Turkey) Exchange of PTS between the Black and
Mediterranean Seas.
R. Guardans (Spain) Towards an integrated assessment modelling
framework for the Mediterranean, why?, how?.
Discussion
13.00 - 14.30
Lunch
14.30 - 16.00
Working group. The participants will analyse the presentations and the
background documents, to assess regional transport pathways, and make
recommendations to plenary regarding PTS of major concern and key data
gaps.
Working group (chair E. Stephanou)
16.00 - 16.30
Coffee break
16.30 - 18.00
Plenary
Areas of major concern, gaps.
Scoring of chemicals
(see Annex 2)
Thursday, April 04, 2002
09.00 - 10.30
S. Bintein (France). New approaches in risk assessment and management of
PTS
R. Miniero (Italy). High concern PTS in Italy: the ISS experience
10.30 - 11.00
Coffee break
11.00 - 13.00
Overview of the region regarding effects in humans:
J.F. Narbonne (France). Risk assessment of PTS in food
J. Jan (Slovenia). Assessment of PCBs in human tissues and their
effects on dental development in Slovenia.
M.M. Amr (Egypt). PTS monitoring and health problems in Egypt.
L. Massouh (Syria). Overview of PTS in Syria
N. Ergin (Turkey). The assessment of PTS human risks in Turkey
M. Porta (Spain). PTS and public health in Spain
13.00 - 14.30
Lunch
14.30 16.15
Overview of the region regarding effects in the environment:
E. Testai (Italy). New trends in the toxicological evaluation
S. Michaelidou (Cyprus). Ecotoxicological testing and validation
E. Vindimian (France). Soil ecotoxicology.
A. Romaña (France). Risk assessment in estuaries of PTS
L. Viganò (Italy). Endocrine disruption and PTS
16.15 - 16.30
Coffee break
16.30 17.30
V. Ternifi (Slovenia). Ecotoxicology studies in Slovenia
A. Moukrim (Morocco). REMEC experience
N. Kodeih (Lebanon). (Eco)toxicological studies in Lebanon.
17.30-18.30
Working groups. The participants will be divided into two groups to analyse
the presentations and the background documents, to identify environmental
and health effects, and make recommendations to plenary regarding PTS of
major concern and key data gaps.
Working group 1 (chair E. de Felip)
Human effects
Working group 2 (chair J.F. Narbonne)
Environmental effects
20.30 - ....
Common dinner
Friday, April 05, 2002
09.00 - 10.30
Working group 1
Human effects
Working group 2
Environmental effects
10.30 - 11.00
Coffee break
11.00 - 13.00
Working groups 1 and 2
13.00 - 14.30
Lunch
14.30 - 16.00
Plenary session (chairs E. de Felip and
Overview of working group
J.F. Narbonne)
results. Areas of major concern
16.00 - 16.30
Coffee break
16.30 - 17.30
Plenary session (chair J. Albaiges)
Scoring of chemicals
(see Annex 2)
17.30 - 18.00
Final recommendations
Regional network of experts
and Closing address