Micropollutants which are the so-called emerging contaminants are potentially dangerous compounds continuously emitted to the environment. The residues of pharmaceuticals, self-care products, and psychoactive substances all belong in this group. They occur at very low concentration levels and we do not fully know their effects, which does not allow for adequate regulation. Relevant research requires the involvement of scientists from many fields and involves high equipment costs.
AGH University Associate Professor Katarzyna Styszko
Lecturer at the Faculty of Energy and Fuels at the AGH University. Professor Styszko specialises in topics concerning the emission of micropollutants and microplastics into the environment, among others in the aspect of circular economy. She conducts research work on the application of epidemiology based on wastewater analysis as a source of information on the population's quality of life and the degree of exposure to environmental pollutants. Moreover, she also studies the chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols and their effects on health, as well as identifies the sources of their emissions.
The problem of poor air quality affects many residents of Poland. It is strongly experienced especially in the south of our country, in Krakow. At the same time, we often do not realise that the topic is not limited to particulate matter, most often present in public discourse.
The speaker will talk about how measurements of what we breathe on a daily basis are conducted. There is a really interesting part of physics behind most of the applied methods. It turns out that these seemingly simple phenomena at a closer look reveal their complexity, which needs to be taken into account during research. On the other hand, even seemingly complex measuring devices base their operation on elementary laws of physics.
Dr Jakub Bartyzel
Member of the Environmental Physics Group at the Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science. His research interests focus on two issues that are currently attracting public attention: greenhouse gases and air quality. In both cases, he is primarily concerned with conducting measurements and creating and improving the equipment used for this purpose. He also does not shy away from analysing and interpreting the obtained data.