CONGRESS TOPICS

I. Geology, Hydrology, and Hydrogeology of Arsenic

• Geogenic and anthropogenic sources of arsenic.
• Total arsenic and arsenic speciation.
• Arsenic release into the groundwater: water-rock interaction processes.
• Mobility and transport of arsenic in aquifers.
• Biotic and abiotic transformations.
• Chemical modeling.

II. Ecological Effects: Arsenic in Soils, Plants and Food Chain Cycle

• Arsenic in soils and related chemical and biological processes.
• Bioavailability of soil arsenic for plants.
• Phytotoxicity of arsenic.
• Transfer and transformation of arsenic in food chain cycle.
• Total arsenic and arsenic speciation in food.
• Bioavailability of arsenic in food.

III. Marine and Terrestrial Biota

• Total arsenic and arsenic speciation in biota.
• Cycles of arsenic.
• Toxicological aspects of marine and terrestrial biota.
• Geomicrobiology and geobiology.

IV. Health Effects on Humans: Epidemiology and Biomarkers

• Total arsenic and arsenic speciation in human biospecimens.
• Dietary intake of arsenic
• Arsenic metabolism.
• Biomarkers of arsenic exposures and arsenic induced to arseniasia.
• Biomarkers of diseases.
• Biomarkers of susceptibility.
• Cancer and non-cancer effects.
• Susceptibility factors of arseniasis.
• Arsenic exposure and risk assessment.

V. Toxicological Effects: Animal Models

• Toxicity testing.
• Toxicological mechanisms.
• Toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics.
• Comparative animal models.
• Treatment and therapy on the health effects.

VI. Assessment and Remediation of Arsenic Contaminations, Policy and    Protection

• Treatment techniques and remediation methods for arsenic removal from water, sediment and soil.
• Management for arsenic-rich sludge.
• Sustainability of arsenic-free water supply.
• Arsenic from industrial and agricultural activities.
• Regulation and legislation.
• Arsenic environmental disasters assessment.

VII. Analytical Methods for Arsenic

• Field detection methods.
• Sample preservation and processing.
• Arsenic species separation.
• Laboratory methods under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
• Quality Control.