UNIDO methodology for contaminated sites assessment and management.

The David Livingstone Centre for Sustainability (DLCS) offers continuous professional development (CPD) in a range of subjects relating to environmental sustainability and remediation techniques. In collaboration with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) practical aspects of implementing the Stockholm convention are considered. The convention deals with the elimination, reduction and remediation of persistent organic pollutants. Many of these chemicals were used in industry resulting in stockpiling and contamination locally, however these chemicals are also transported and now pollute many aquatic waterways where they biaccumulate and biomagnify through the food chain. Due to the adverse physiological health effects and particularly endocrine disruption, as seen is many species, the global convention seeks to protect both the environment and humans from inadvertent exposure. The methodology for training emphasises the safety aspects of dealing with contaminated sites with risk assessment and remediation techniques fully explored. Environmental fate prediction using EPIsuite modelling is used to show how these chemicals behave and why they have a tendency to accumulate in the higher trophic levels. Current approved analytical techniques, the use of certified reference materials and laboratory accreditation are also taken into account.