About PATHOS

PATHOS – description of an environmental protection project  
The PATHOS project is an environmental protection project, and during the project the persistence, dissemination and potential threat of pathogens and estrogens to our ground- and recreational waters will be investigated.   Safe drinking and recreational waters are the expected norm in Denmark, but pathogens like Cryptosporidium and Salmonella and estrogens from pig manure have been shown to leach at high concentrations through intact clay soils. These observations are of general environmental concern, but also a specific problem in the context of fulfilling the EU Water Frame Directive, which requires that there will be no ecotoxicological effects of substances leached to freshwaters.   
 
Today manure is often treated by mechanical separation or additives to provide a range of processed materials. The mechanisms controlling distribution and degradation of pathogens and estrogens during storage and following application to arable soil will be studied, both for manure and selected separation products. The potential for contamination of ground- and recreational waters from manure and processed manure will be investigated via leaching experiments and field validation, using the new techniques available for identification and quantification. 

This research project will serve as documentation of environmental technologies which could support policy development and export of Danish know-how to fight this “worldwide water quality problem number 1”.The PATHOS project will be the first to study in a chain perspective on how manure separation technologies, currently under rapid development with Danish companies in the forefront, may reduce the environmental impact of these emerging contaminants (natural estrogenes and pathogens). Such knowledge will be very valuable and give the industries within this area a competitive advantage and a research-based foundation for expansion and future export.  
The project will provide a very well defined area of research linking to the quantitative detection of pathogens in environmental samples.

The project is running for 4 years and is organised with core activities at GEUS,University of Copenhagen and University of Aarhus. The project is coordinated by the project leader (Carsten Suhr Jacobsen, research-professor GEUS and University of Copenhagen Life).
The project leader is responsible to the strategic research council. He is using a steeringboard, consisting of the project leader, four scientist from the project also being WP leaders (MetteLaegdsmann Scientist University of Aarhus; Lars Stoumann Jensen, Professor, University ofCopenhagen and Bent Halling-Sørensen, Professor University of Copenhagen) and two persons
outside the project but working in related areas: Bjørn Kaare Jensen (GEUS, vice-director); AnneMarie Zink (Danish Farmers Association).


Work package leaders and deputy

Workpackage, WP	Head of WP	Deputy of WP
WP1	Bent Halling Sørensen, KU	Carsten Suhr Jacobsen, GEUS
WP2	Lars Stougaard Jensen, KU-Life	Anders Dalsgaard, KU-Life
WP3	Mette Lægdsmann, AU	Jeanne Kjær, GEUS

midtterm-evaluation-of-pathos-supplement.pdf