Mercury is an ubiquitous and toxic element that cycles through the environment, bioaccumulates and biomagnifies throughout the aquatic food web from plankton to top fish predators and thus pose health risks to human. Our studies focus on the environmental processes and factors, controlling mobility, bioavailability, and thus the overall fate of mercury. The specific research lines are the following:
Development of methods to analyze environmental samples for their contents of Hg species. With special attention in the methylmercury bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in freshwater foodwebs
Human exposure assessment to mercury and other contaminants
Biogeochemical processes controlling the distribution, speciation, mobility, and bioavailability of Hg using a combination of traditional and emerging analytical techniques, integrated laboratory and field studies.
Evaluation of bioavailability using a new in-situ technique called Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT)
