Major research issues/sites:

Research interests:

• Applicability of characterisation techniques for engineered nanomaterials in natural waters and synthetic samples
• Environmental fate of microplastics, engineered nanomaterials and other emerging pollutants
• Novel analytical techniques for analysis of emerging substances (e.g. PPCPs) and POPs (e.g. BFRs)
• New sample pretreatment and analytical techniques  
• Biological methods for environmental stress (aquatic, benthic and terrestrial organisms)
• Biotic ligand modelling
• Transportation, transformation and degradation of organic contaminants in environment
• Effects of chemical mixtures
• Effect based analysis of substances (EDA, TIE)

Short technical description:

• Modern analytical instrumentation (GC, LC, MS, MS/MS, ICP-OES, ICPMS)
• Wide range of equipment and methods for environmental chemistry (organic and inorganic) 
• Equipment for characterisation of microplastics (FTIR microscope and FPA-µFTIR) and nanomaterials (DLS, LDEP, UV-Vis, ICP-MS)
• Infrastructure for testing ecotoxicity (e.g. nanomaterials)

Accredited testing laboratory T003 (EN ISO/IEC 17025).
Recognised as the national reference laboratory in the environmental field in Finland.
Accredited proficiency testing provider PT01 (EN ISO/IEC 17043).

Options and conditions for visiting scientists:

Access subject to joint interests/projects as well as time and funding constraints.

Unit Cost of use and principles of costing:

No cost of basic infrastructure. Funding for labour costs, travels and special consumables needed.