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Using advanced technologies to determine the source or age of environmental pollutions...
The development of research and analytic tools to determine the origin and age of environmental pollutions gave birth in the 1980’s to a discipline called Environmental Forensics. This still emerging discipline in Europe is likely to play a key role in the implementation of the European Directive 2004/35/EC on environmental liability, prevention and remedy of environmental damages.
Historically based on the use of physicochemical techniques, environmental forensics benefits today from the development of molecular biology tools. These tools, applied to the environment, complement the range of tools already available (e.g., chemical fingerprints, isotopic analyzes) but also provide new opportunities by fostering the emergence of new application areas in forensics.
In the field of environmental forensics, molecular biology tools developed by ENOVEO are designed to bring new lines of evidence in understanding the mechanisms that can occur on a site. Our expertise focuses on the analysis of the metagenome (genetic content of a sample) and the detection and quantification of genetic markers or bio-indicators. These tools (sequencing, genetic fingerprinting, qPCR), applied in combination with conventional forensics techniques (e.g., chemical fingerprints and isotopic analyzes) can help identify the source and/or origin of pollutants and demonstrate the natural attenuation of pollutants.
