ADDRESSING WATER POLLUTION AND FOOD SAFETY THROUGH NEW UNDERSTANDING OF ACCUMULATION AND TRANSFER OF METALS IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Summary of the impact

Metal pollution is a significant environmental problem in the marine waters of China and other regions. Marine biologist Prof Wenxiong Wang, Director of HKUST’s Coastal Marine Laboratory, has been leading research to address this challenge by generating new understanding of the biogeochemistry involved in the accumulation and transfer of metal pollutants through the marine ecosystem and food chain. His research has contributed to shaping public policy and practice, benefiting the environment, public health, the economy, and public understanding. It has directly resulted in new protocols for water pollution monitoring by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR and informed marine water quality guidelines, assisting professional practice and protecting the marine ecology, with longer-term benefits for public health through the reduction of excessive metals in seafood. His expertise in metal ecotoxicity has also had impact on policy, public health, and professional practitioners in the US and Hong Kong by informing policy frameworks for and control of metals transferred through the food chain to humans, and his direct contributions to public policy in Hong Kong as a key member of the government’s Expert Committee on Food Safety. Further impact on public policy, health, and the environment has been achieved from contracts to monitor sewage effluent for the Drainage Services Department.