2016/9
Welcome to the September issue of EVISA's Speciation Newsletter!

One of the species in the focus of regulation is hexavalent chromium.  Since hexavalent chromium is carcinogen, its presence in food or the environment cannot be tolerated. Therefore alarming reports about Cr(VI) found in foodstuffs such as milk, mushrooms or bread make their way into the news. Since on the other site, hexavalent chromium is a strong oxidizing agent, it is questionable whether such species can be present within organic matter that can easily reduce hexavalent chromium. We at EVISA already some years before questioned such reports and speculated that such findings result from inadequate speciation analysis. Now a group of French researchers developed a sensitive method for chromium speciation with optimized extraction of hexavalent chromium from different foodstuffs. With a quantification limit below 1 µg/kg there were not able to detect any Cr(VI) in cereals or dairy products (see the news below). 

Arsenic is one of the elements most often studied for its speciation. More than 100 different compounds have been identified in nature and researchers add to this number every year. Another element of the same group in the periodic table, namely antimony is much less studied. A group of researchers from Switzerland now measured for the first time the uptake and translocation  of trimethylantimony in a plant using a new method for extraction and speciation analysis. The authors are convinced that their method opens the door for further studies of the soil-plant system with respect to antimony species  (see the news below).

We frequently report about methylmercury, since humans are exposed to this strong neurotoxin via consumption of seafood, with increasing levels because of anthropogenic emission of mercury via coal combustion. Now a study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has investigated how methylmercury exposure in the womb may affect cognitive function in adults. The results indicate that prenatal mercury exposure cancels out cognitive benefits of exercise (see the news below).

Such topic related to trace metal speciation  have been discussed during the conference "TraceSpec 2016" that took place in Gdansk (Poland) two weeks ago (Sept. 4-7, 2016). Researchers from all over the world came together to discuss the Progress in Trace Metal Speciation for Environmental Analytical Chemistry. The next issue will be organized by Montserrat Filella in Geneva (Switzerland) in 2018 and EVISA Director Michael Sperling will act as the co-chair. We will inform you about this unique conference devoted to speciation analysis.


NEWS | EVENTS | VACANCIES | DIRECTORY | LINKS
NEWS

EVISA is keeping you updated  with what is going on in speciation analysis. In this section you will find news about the most current research results, about trends, legal issues and informations from manufacturers in the field of speciation analysis.

With all the links to further information and publications the News archive is a valuable collection of "hot topics" in speciation analysis. We continuously update even former news with new links and information so that all news are actual all the time.




Prenatal Mercury Exposure Cancels Out Cognitive Benefits of Exercise
Cognitive function improves with aerobic exercise, but not for people exposed to high levels of mercury before birth, according to research funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Adults with high prenatal exposure to methylmercury, which mainly comes from maternal consumption of fish with high mercury levels, did not experience the faster cognitive processing and better short term memory benefits of exercise that were seen in those with low prenatal methylmercury exposures.
more

Plant uptake of trimethylantimony from contaminated soils
A group of researchers from Switzerland measured for the first time the uptake and translocation of trimethylantimony in a plant using a new method for extraction and speciation analysis.
more

New sensitive method for chromium speciation analysis: No hexavalent chromium in dairy and cereal products
French researchers could not detect any hexavalent chromium in dairy and cereal products using a new optimised method for selective alkaline extraction followed by HPIC-ICP-MS determination.
more


EVENTS
With a list of about 50 current entries EVISA is informing you about interesting events and keeps you updated with their deadlines. By consulting our list of deadlines you won't miss the opportunity for early registration at reduced fee or the chance to submit your contribution in time.
 more infos...


AsBIC8: 8th Asian Biological Inorganic Chemistry Conference

Date:     December 4,2016 - December 9,2016
Location:     Auckland, New Zealand
October 1,2016    Early registration at reduced fee
October 1,2016    Submission of abstracts


EWCPS 2017: European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry

Date:     February 19,2017 - February 24,2017
Location:     Sankt Anton, Austria
September 30,2016    Early registration at reduced fee
September 30,2016    Extended: Submission of abstracts



Please do not hesitate to inform us in case that your conference related to speciation
analysis is missing in our Agenda.

SciX 2016: The 43rd Annual North American Meeting of the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS)
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Date: 18.09.2016 - 23.09.2016
more

8. TXRF-und μXRF-Workshop
Location: Münster, Germany
Date: 26.09.2016 - 28.09.2016
more

Copper 2016: 10th International Copper Meeting
Location: Grand Hotel Vesuvio, Sorrento, Naples, Italy
Date: 27.09.2016 - 30.09.2016
more

4th Workshop on Field-Flow Fractionation – Mass Spectrometry (FFF-MS)
Location: Vienna, Austria
Date: 29.09.2016 - 30.09.2016
more

20th ICFIA: 20th International Conference on Flow Injection Analysis and Related Techniques
Location: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Date: 02.10.2016 - 07.10.2016
more

XXIth Slovak - Czech Spectroscopic Conference
Location: The Low Tatras - Liptovský Ján, Slovakia
Date: 16.10.2016 - 20.10.2016
more



VACANCIES

EVISA provides information about open positions for Ph.D. students, PostDocs and permanent staff in the field of speciation. Looking to fill a vacancy or needing a new career challenge? Either way this service is FREE. Many laboratories and research facilities (from Greenland to Crete) have already found their highly educated stuff through this service by EVISA. If you would like to post an open position here, please contact us at info@speciation.net !


Doctorates

Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde (BfG): Diplom-/Masterarbeit: Entwicklung von speziesanalytischen Methoden zum Nachweis und Untersuchung von metallbasierten Antifouling Bioziden in aquatischen Matrizes
Ziel der ausgeschriebenen Diplom-/Masterarbeit (Chemie, Umweltwissenschaften und verwandten Studiengängen) ist die Entwicklung komplementärer speziesanalytischer Methoden zur Identifizierung und Quantifizierung relevanter metallbasierter Biozide und Spezies der Verbindungen in aquatischen Matrizes.
more

SCK-CEN Belgium: Development and validation of HPLC-SF-ICP-MS methodologies for characterization of spent nuclear fuel
The Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN) recently opened its call for PhD and post-doc positions (2016 campaign). Two challenging research topics on SF-ICP-MS method development are offered for this purpose by the Radiochemistry expert group.
more

Umeå University: Mercury Biogeochemistry
Umea University, Department of Chemistry has an open position for a PhD student in the field of mercury biogeochemistry.
more


Postdoctoral


Other

National Research Council Canada: Research Associate, Analytical Chemistry
We are looking to fill one or more Research Associate (RA) positions to support our Measurement Science and Standards Portfolio. The RA would be someone who shares our core values of impact, accountability, leadership, integrity and collaboration.
more



DIRECTORY

EVISA's directory of scientist is a versatile tool to facilitate contact with scientists in the field of speciation and related sciences. The directory is fully searchable for names, addresses, research topics etc.  You should bookmark this directory as an always up-to-date address book. (In order to hinder SPAM robots for collecting the E-mail accounts, we hide them in a special format).

More than 280 active scientists in the field of speciation analysis already joined the directory. Join this great directory that is extensively linked to all type of other information on this site, such as homepages, conferences and literature.

If your entry is still missing in this directory, please contact us at info@speciation.net.

more


LINKS

EVISA provides an easy access to external information. Our database contains more than 2750 links to relevant information from numerous top scientific resources spread over the whole Web. The database is searchable both via full-text and categories such as elements, type of species and type of information. We are permanently updating our links section.

If your web site is missing here, please e-mail your link information to info@speciation.net.

 
more

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No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. The Newsletter represents only the opinion of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Community. The European Community is not responsible for any use that might be made of the information provided.