Study of natural organic matter and contaminants as a source of knowledge of the evolution of ecosystems, including climate change and transport processes, distribution, transformation and effects of organic pollution in organisms, including humans. This overall goal includes the development of analytical methods to study the concentrations of these compounds, their transfer flows between environmental compartments and their incorporation into organisms. It also covers the investigation of how organic molecules can provide geochemical information on past and present ecosystems and molecules that are useful to describe the health status of the organisms.
• Analysis of Trace Organic Compounds in Environmental Samples
• Pollutants in the Atmosphere
• Pollution Processes in Terrestrial and Coastal Ecosystems
• Paleoclimatology
• Pollutants and Human Health
Permanent Researchers
Postdoc Researchers
PhD Students
Technical
Administration
Communication and Outreach
Projects and Fundraising
Prenatal exposure to poly- and perfluorinated substances (PFAS) in drinking water and neurodevelopment in early life.
The objectives of this project are:
Evaluate exposure during pregnancy to poly- and perfluorinated substances (PFASs) in drinking water.
Estimate the contribution of drinking water to the total exposure burden.
Estimate the association with neurodevelopment at 6 months in the framework of the BISC project (Barcelona Life Study Cohort).
ISGlobal, ASPB, IDAEA-CSIC
Start Date: 01/01/2021 – End Date: 31/12/2023
Project Leader: Cintia Flores Rubio
Funding: National Project
Biological dynamics of CO2 in classrooms given the current context of climate change and pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19 disease)
The project studies how the natural ventilation required during the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic influences air quality in classrooms, in line with the recommendations of the guide published by CSIC (https://www.ciencia.gob.es/stfls/MICINN/Ministerio/FICHEROS/Guia_para_ventilacion_en_aulas_CSIC_v4.pdf). CO2, PM2.5 and NO2 are measured in different classrooms of urban and rural schools of Barcelona province during 2021 and placed into the context of anthropogenic climate change concerning seasonal variation of CO2, temperature, humidity, wind speed-direction, precipitation and surrounding vegetation cover.
SINERGIA Project (Severo Ochoa)
Start Date: 01/01/2021 – End Date: 31/12/2021
Project Leader: Natalia Moreno Palmerola , Belen Martrat
Funding: National Project
Ciguarisk
Food risks associated with ciguatoxins: monitoring and tracking the toxins and toxin-producing organisms in marine ecosystems (CIGUARISK). This project focuses on the risk characterization of ciguatera food poisoning in the Balearic Island and the Canary Island.
SubProject 1: Spatio-temporal dynamics of ciguatoxin-producing microalgae in marine ecosystems and transfer of ciguatoxins through the food web (CIGUATROFIC)
SubProject 2: Ciguatoxin in food web: a controlled study of bioaccumulation in fish species (CIGUAFOOD)
The partners belong to five research centers from three national institutions from Spain:
IRTA, ULPG, Banco Español de Algas, IUSA, OCHABs, IDAEA-CSIC
Funding: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Start Date: 01/07/2020 – End Date: 30/06/2023
Project Leader: Cintia Flores Rubio
Funding: National Project
https://ciguarisk.es/
AiguaBCN
El proyecto AiguaBCN construirá un mapa con las concentraciones de los contaminantes emergentes presentes en el agua de consumo de Barcelona y servirá para estudiar sus efectos sobre la salud.
Medirá estos contaminantes emergentes en el agua potable de la ciudad de Barcelona y creará un mapa de concentraciones. Para hacerlo, tomará muestras de agua del grifo de 42 hogares (uno por código postal), de modo que quede representada la geografía de la ciudad.
Cuantificará la contribución del agua potable a la dosis interna de PFASs y HAAs recogiendo muestras de orina de 42 personas voluntarias residentes en los puntos de muestreo de agua del grifo.
Evaluará la neurotoxicidad del agua del grifo mediante ensayos in vitro y cuantificará la contribución de PFASs, BPA, NP, HAAs, clorado y clorito a la neurotoxicidad in vitro de muestras de agua potable.
Funding: El proyecto está financiado por el Ayuntamiento de Barcelona y la Fundación ”la Caixa” (Plan de Ciencia de Barcelona), y está coordinado por ISGlobal junto con el Instituto de Diagnóstico Ambiental y Estudios del Agua (IDAEA-CSIC) y la Universidad Rovira i Virgili. También cuenta con la colaboración del Instituto Catalán de Investigación del Agua (ICRA) y el Centro de Investigación Ambiental de Helmholtz (UFZ), Alemania.
Start Date: 01/01/2020 – End Date: 31/10/2021
Project Leader: Cintia Flores Rubio
Funding: Regional Project
INTEMPOL
INTEMPOL (PGC2018-102288-B-I00) INFLUENCE OF THE TEMPERATURE INVERSION ON ATMOSPHERIC ORGANIC POLLUTION
This project is aimed to give a strong leap forward into the understanding of the changes in chemical composition of atmospheric organic pollutants under temperature inversion. These episodes often involve precautionary health warnings or contaminant emission restrictions in urban areas as they encompass strong increases of atmospheric pollutants. Organic pollutants generated under several types of temperature inversions in urban, rural and high mountain environments will be studied. Urban areas will involve distinct examples such as Madrid and Barcelona. The former represents continental environments where soil radiative forcing is the main driver of the vertical structure. The second constitutes an example of coastal environments with significant breeze regime influence, involving eventual photo-oxidation in the marine atmosphere and inland transport. Rural environments will be represented by the temperature inversions in the area of Osona where highest summer O3 concentrations have been observed among those recorded in the Iberian Peninsula. The temperature inversions in the mountain-plain systems and their associated transport of organic pollutants uphill (day) and downhill (night), prior and after respective photo-oxidation will also be considered.
Start Date: 01/01/2019 – End Date: 31/12/2021
Project Leader: Joan Grimalt Obrador , Pilar Fernández Ramón
Researchers: Barend L. van Drooge
Funding: National Project
PLAS-MED
Microplastics and micro-pollutants on the Mediterranean coast: toxicity and environmental impact and on human health
PLAS-MED will assess the risks associated with microplastics and their ability to accumulate and transfer other contaminants to living organisms, including the highly toxic and persistent marine biotoxins and persistent organic compounds, as well as emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, current-use pesticides, and contaminants of industrial origin. PLAS-MED will also propose solutions for a sustainable management.
Funding: MINECO (CTM2017-89701-C3-1-R)
Start Date: 01/01/2018 – End Date: 30/09/2021
Project Leader: Marinella Farré Urgell , Esteban Abad Holgado
Researchers: Marta Llorca Casamayor , Gabriella Francesca Schirinzi , Albert Vega Herrera
Funding: National Project
https://www.plas-med.es/
NEUROSOME
Exploring the Neurological Exposome (NEUROSOME)
EUROSOME is a European integrated training network which investigates the causal associations among genetic predisposition, cumulative exposure to multiple environmental chemicals of children and neurodevelopmental disorders. The project brings together beyond- the-state-of-the-art advances in human biomonitoring and systems biology, exposure monitoring and toxicological testing technologies and advanced tools for computational analyses of the exposure-to-health effect continuum according to the exposome paradigm. NEUROSOME involves the use of high dimensional biological data generated from multi-omics technological platforms. The ultimate goal is the development of functional links among the different components of environmental, exposure and HBM and toxicological studies in order to understand the causal associations between exposure to organic compounds and toxic metals to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.
Project Leader: Denis Sarigiannis. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
www.neurosome.eu