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5th PFAS symposium: 1 October 2026

‘Environmental occurrence, hazard and risk of PFASs’

With keynote by Prof. Dr. Majorie van Duursen (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
PFAS: forever chemicals shaping health of future generations

When: Thursday 1 October 2026

Where: Wageningen University & Research, Lumen 1 + 2
Droevendaalsesteeg 3A, Building 100/101, Wageningen

The Organizing Committee: 
Paul van den Brink and Ayesha Siddiqa (Wageningen University & Research)
Thimo Groffen (University of Antwerp)
Eva de Rijke (University of Amsterdam)
Marja Lamoree and Kees van Gestel (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Stefan van Leeuwen and Tatiana Siniakova (KNCV Section MCT)

Programme
09:00-09:30 Arrival, registration, coffee
09:30-09:35 Opening, introduction to the symposium programme
09:35-10:15 Keynote lecture: PFAS: forever chemicals shaping health of future generations.
Majorie van Duursen, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
10:15-10:35 Method development and validation of a serum and urine method for the analysis of ultra-short chain PFAS in humans.
Kevin Stroski, University of Antwerp, Belgium
10:35-11:10 Coffee + posters
11:10-11:30 Online SPE with post-plasma chemical ionization MS for sensitive and rapid PFAS sum parameter quantitation in surface water samples.
Fabian Simon, University of Antwerp, Belgium
11:30-11:50 Screening of PFAS pesticides and their impact on (drinking) water treatment plants.
Sanne Brekelmans, Het Waterlaboratorium, The Netherlands
11:50-12:10 Scoping existing and emerging PFAS separation and destruction technologies.
Gabriel Sigmund, Wageningen University - Environmental Technology, The Netherlands
12:10-14:00 Lunch + Posters
14:00-14:20 From target PFAS to total organofluorine: Assessing activated carbon performance in soil from batch to column scale.
Welmoed Nauta, Örebro University, Sweden
14:20-14:40 PFAS levels in soil and groundwater profiles: Implications for drinking water production from groundwater.
Remco Vis, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), The Netherlands
14:40-15:00 Exposure and magnification of PFAS in a temperate estuarine food web, including top predators.
Martine van den Heuvel-Greve, Wageningen Marine Research, The Netherlands
15:00-15:20 PFAS contamination of domestic eggs and potential sources.
Leontien de Pagter, Wageningen University & Research
15:20-15:40 Toxicokinetics of PFOS in freshwater macroinvertebrates.
Ayesha Siddiqa, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
15:40-16:00 Molecular properties and species-specific sensitivities drive PFAS toxicity to aquatic organisms.
Skylar Xie, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
16:00-16:05 Closing remarks
16:05-18:00 Drinks + posters

Posters
1. Comprehensive screening of PFAS in packaging materials in the context of the new EU regulation.
Ondrej Parizek, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Republique/University of Antwerp, Belgium
2. Development of a protein-based screening method for broad PFAS detection in water.
Aart van Amerongen, BioSensing & Diagnostics, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
3. Impact of sample handling and storage conditions on PFAS recovery and stability by LC–MS/MS.
Ruben Kause, Wageningen Food Safety Research, The Netherlands
4. Calculating physico-chemical parameters of PFAS molecules using COSMOtherm: Comparison with experimental data for pKa values and cell membrane binding affinities.
Steven Droge, Wageningen Environmental Research, The Netherlands
5. Screening of PFAS dynamics in the Rhine and Meuse catchment: Future scenarios in SimpleBox.
Joris Quik, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), The Netherlands
6. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance accumulation in field-collected mushrooms near a fluorochemical hotspot in Belgium.
Jodie Buytaert, University of Antwerp, Belgium
7. Uptake and depuration of TFA and a long chain analogue PFAS  in a submerged, floating and emergent aquatic plants. Anna Huang, Wageningen Environmental Research, The Netherlands
8. Comparative stress responses of two freshwater bivalves to emerging PFAS contaminants.
Thimo Groffen, University of Antwerp, Belgium
9. Toxicity assessment of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA)  in a freshwater microcosm.
Paul van den Brink, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
10. PFAS hotspots versus omnipresence, putting things in perspective.
Tessa Pancras, Arcadis Nederland B.V., The Netherlands
11. New screening limits for PFAS offering an effective means of prioritizing risk assessment of PFAS in agricultural soils.
Arjen Wintersen, National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), The Netherlands


5th PFAS Symposium 2026
KNCV Section on MilieuChemTox (MCT)
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Majorie van Duursen is a European‑registered toxicologist committed to preventing disease and fostering healthy living environments from the earliest stages of life. Her research focuses on developing and applying advanced in vitro models to uncover how environmental contaminants influence early development and contribute to long‑term health effects, particularly on reproductive health. Her work centers on turning scientific insights into real-world impact and actively engaging with scientific, societal, and political communities at national and international levels. Majorie is professor of Environmental Health and Toxicology at the Faculty of Science of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and serves in several expert advisory roles, including for EFSA, ECHA, and the Dutch Health Council.

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