LISBON, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Researchers from the Porto School of Engineering (ISEP) said on Friday that they had developed a technique for detecting contaminants in water and fish.
The ISEP said in a statement that by using sensors and biosensors built on a portable platform the researchers can quantify, "in loco" and at a low cost, substances such as antibiotics, hormones, antidepressants or anti-inflammatory drugs.
"It is urgent to control the quality and safety of fishery products," explain the scientists of the "CECs (Bio) Sensing" project, noting that the bioaccumulation of contaminants in aquatic organisms is increasingly "a threat to public health."
"The common medications that we use in our daily lives and that are excreted through the urine end up contaminating rivers and seas, without there being any control methodologies or technologies to eliminate these compounds," the ISEP said.
The project's lead researcher, Simone Morais, explained that currently "there are no routine analysis methods for most compounds," since the methodologies are "very expensive."
"This project offers important socioeconomic and environmental benefits. The fast and reliable results coming from the platforms can support key decisions regarding the management of fish products, resulting in greener and more efficient production processes," she said.
The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) and the Federal University of Ceara in Brazil are the ISEP's partners in the project. Enditem