PARC is organising a remote training course titled “Pollution and public health: Insights from chlor-alkali emissions and trihalomethanes in drinking water”. The course is scientifically coordinated by Joan O. Grimalt from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) ↗.

The training is organised into two distinct but interconnected sessions:

• Session 1 (24–25 March 2026) focuses on industrial pollution, using a chlor-alkali plant case study to explore air, water, and long-range contamination, exposure assessment, thyroid health outcomes, and the evaluation of environmental remediation measures.
• Session 2 (7–8 April 2026) addresses municipal water contamination, examining exposure to disinfection by-products (THMs) in urban settings through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal pathways, as well as the assessment of biological responses, including immune markers, transcriptomics, and metabolomics.

Together, the two sessions demonstrate how environmental pollutants are detected and characterised, how human exposure and health effects are investigated, and how scientific evidence is generated, interpreted, and translated into effective public health action and regulatory decision-making.

What to expect:

• An interactive course combining theoretical concepts with real case studies
• A shared investigative framework covering environmental detection, exposure assessment, epidemiology, biological response analysis, and public health implications
• Practical insight into how scientific evidence supports risk assessment, regulation, and public health action
• An interactive session combining theory with practical case studies

Who should attend:

This training is intended for professionals and researchers working in environmental health, including environmental scientists, toxicologists, exposure assessors, public health specialists, and epidemiologists. It is also suitable for regulatory staff involved in risk assessment, as well as graduate or early-career researchers seeking practical experience in environmental contamination, biomonitoring, and population health studies.

Practical details:

Participants may choose to register for Session 1 only, Session 2 only, or both sessions, depending on their interests and availability. While each session is designed to be attended independently, participants who attend both will benefit from a more comprehensive perspective on methodological approaches to environmental health research.

Participants will be selected based on a written application describing their background, professional experience, and motivation.

There are no registration fees for this course. It is open to both PARC members and non-members; however, priority will be given to applicants from PARC partner institutions.

Application deadline:

The application form will remain open until 6 March 2026.

How to apply:

Submit your application here. 

For additional details about the course, please click here.

Why you should not miss this opportunity:

This training offers a unique opportunity to explore how environmental health evidence is generated and applied, using concrete examples of industrial and municipal pollution. Participants will gain practical insight into exposure assessment, biomonitoring, epidemiological study design, and the translation of science into effective public health and regulatory action.