Speaker   Dr. LAM Chung Wah James, EdUHK SES
Date and Time   10 May 2017 (Wednesday) 1:00pm – 1:30pm
Venue   D3-G-05, Tai Po Campus
Language   English

Abstract
Coastal environment of South China, particularly the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, has been undergoing significant modifications due to rapid economic growth and industrialization. These may increase the demand for recalcitrant chemicals used in the manufacture of products for both domestic use and export. It is, therefore, conceivable that huge amounts of persistent toxic

substances (PTS), such as halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), are found in this region. Indeed, the presence of a number of emerging PTS in local wildlife such as marine mammal and waterbird indicates that they are bioavailable and are bioaccumulative. A recent study carried out in the South China Sea further revealed that the highest levels of some PTS were recorded in seawater samples collected at the mouth of the Pearl River as compared with other coastal areas. Although HFRs and PFASs have attracted wide attention as global environmental contaminants, there are still considerable data gaps in our understanding of the environmental fate and risks of these emerging PTS. This seminar aims to provide an overview on the current status and trends of these emerging PTS in South China.

About the Speaker
Dr. James C.W. Lam is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Science and Environmental Studies at the Education University of Hong Kong. His research centers on studying of environmental fate, transport, bioaccumulation of global contaminants, and assessment of wildlife exposure to the contaminants especially contaminants of emerging concern. Priority chemicals of interest encompass flame retardants, perfluoroalkyl substances, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Specific research interests included development of analytical methods for identification and characterization of the occurrences, distributions and fate of contaminants of emerging concern in the ecosystem; elucidation of exposure pathways and risk assessment.

(https://scholar.google.com.hk/citations?user=38Kn_nkAAAAJ&hl=zh-TW)