The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven is Germany's leading institute for polar and marine research. The AWI Department Ecological Chemistry has broad experience in the development of indicators and expert systems for integrated analysis of chemical and biological data including the assessment of contaminant impact on the marine environment.

This knowledge will contribute to the CHEMSEA's work on ecological risk assessment: AWI will focus on the evaluation of biological effects caused by substances released from chemical weapons into the marine environment. They will participate in field studies, caging studies and laboratory experiments. In a first step, they will apply a biomarker for general toxicity, the "lysosomal membrane stability test", to identify potential hotspot areas with high contamination. This parameter is already part of international monitoring programmes on chemicals and their biological effects and has recently been tested for implementation in the Baltic Sea. In a second step, AWI will carry out studies using mussels and fish to test the carcinogenic and immunotoxicological effects of chemical weapons. AWI will also organise an information event for German maritime stakeholders in Bremerhaven.

Key contats:

• Ulf Bickmeyer - Senior scientist & manager (Ulf.Bickmeyer@awi.de) 
• Matthias Brenner - Scientist & communication officer (Matthias.Brenner@awi.de) 
• Catherine Audebert - Administration officer (Catherine.Audebert@awi.de)