Press release

On the 30th of March 2016 at the "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu (Academic Meeting Center, 7 Banatului street) took place the Progress Information Seminar for the SIDPOP project - Support instrument for decision-making in the management of persistent organic pollutants. Case study: Mureș River catchment area, project financed by the RO 04 Programme - Reduction of hazardous substances by the EEA Grants 2009 – 2014 Financial Mechanism.

The seminar was attended by representatives of the following institutions responsible for persistent organic pollutants management and various stakeholders: ANAR, ANPA, ABA Mureş, SGA Alba, APM Hunedoara, APM Alba, APM Cluj, APM Sibiu, DJA Alba, and the NGO Ecotur Sibiu.

During the first part of the event, besides the project presentation, the classes of organic pollutants were described, their impact on the environment and human health, and the areas potentially affected by the POP (persistent organic pollutants) pollution in the Mureș River catchment area.

The second part of the event was dedicated to methodological and functional aspects: the research infrastructure created within the project was described, as well as the methods used for POP pollution assessment and the team presented and discussed the structure of the database regarding the POP distribution and concentrations in the Mureș River catchment area.

The seminar had an open framework the participants expressing their keen interest in the project evolution and results, emitting opinions and suggestions asking for the database to have an accessible interface, a user-friendly structure with functions and information useful for the institutions that will access it.

Within the project, the latest formalities for the procurement of the lab equipment are about to be finalised, the primary structure of the database was created, the training stages at NMBU were finalised and water, sediment and animal tissue samples were gathered from around 50% of the Mureș catchment area. Thereafter the training on the procured research infrastructure is going to be performed, the standards and protocols for water and sediment will be drafted – a European first - and the database will be populated by the results of the POP tests performed in the two laboratories.

The project, of a total value of 4,455,637.00 RON, aims to support the decision-making process in the field of hazardous chemicals and waste by developing a support instrument for decision-making in the management of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and is implemented in partnership with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and SC Magnum SRL. For more information on the project you may contact Ioana Baboi – Communication department by e-mail on ioana.baboi@magnumevent.com or Angela Bănăduc – Project Manager by e-mail on angela.banaduc@ulbsibiu.ro.