Research by CSCI faculty is once again recognised internationally. The research paper entitled “Which Micropollutants in Water Environments Deserve More Attention Globally?” published in Environmental Science & Technology, has been selected by the American Chemical Society as the first joint winner in the category “Critical Review” in the 2022 Environmental Science and Technology Best Paper Awards.

Professor Kenneth Leung, Chair Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry, as well as the Director of CityUHK’s State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (SKLMP), is one of the co-authors of the paper. Corresponding author Professor Xiangru Zhang, and Professor Xiao-yan Li, members of SKLMP, also participated in the research. Congratulations to Professor Leung and the research team for winning the award!

The research team proposed using the weighted average risk quotient which integrates the risk intensity and frequency of micropollutants in global aquatic environments to objectively determine the priority chemical pollutants of concern. Through this novel metadata analysis, they have identified 53 micropollutants of priority concerns, such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals for risk management and remediation efforts. The results have profound implications for the management of these listed chemicals in aquatic environments worldwide.

Their work is funded by RGC via two Theme-based Research Scheme Projects. This paper has achieved over 195 citations (Google Scholar Citations) since its publication in 2022.

Congratulations to Professor Leung and the team again!