Multi – technical approach for the risk assessment of historical river pollution

The project MARAtHon aims to lead a comprehensive study of the environmental pollution caused by the historical exploitation of the metalliferous mineral resources from the study area – Aries Valley. Promotion is carried on through the collaboration between the academic environment and the private sector, creating a synergy that provides scientific services for the environment regarding ecosystem pollution, health safety, and risk assessment.

     The objective is the risk assessment of river water pollution through a multi-technical concept. A complete and extensive characterization of the environmental matrices will be achieved, and the novelty of the approach consisting of the innovative synergy of high sensitivity and complementarity methods (ICP-MS; IRMS; HPLC-ICP-MS; electrochemical techniques) that, in conjunction with chemometrics, will present an overall picture of the quality of the Aries River ecosystem. Chemical toxic for human health will be followed (HM, MeHg) in environmental matrices (water, sediment, fish).  The methods for ecotoxicological assessment of aquatic status will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the ecological risk posed by contamination in the aquatic system, offering insights into the potential impact on both the environment and human health.