Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

3.17 - From Unknown Features to Action: Advancing HRMS-Based Non-Target Screening for Environmental Monitoring and Exposure Assessment

Track:  3. Environmental Chemistry and Exposure Assessment: Analysis, Monitoring, Fate and Modelling

Description

High resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and computational approaches are expanding our ability to detect and identify known and unknown chemicals across environmental compartments, biota and human exposure sources. However, detecting more features does not necessarily generate better exposure information. A key challenge is deciding which features to prioritize and when and non-target screening (NTS) finding is sufficiently reliable to support monitoring, exposure assessment and decision making. This session will explore how NTS and suspect screening data can move from detection and identification to decision relevant exposure information. Contributions addressing HRMS methods and computational tools for detecting, prioritizing, identifying and quantifying unknown contaminants are encouraged, including PFAS and contaminants of emerging concern. Topics may include spectral prediction, machine learning, chromatography optimization, confidence reporting, and semi quantitative and quantitative approaches. A central focus will be the quality, uncertainty and confidence required for NTS findings to support exposure assessment and action. Contributions may address harmonisation and standardization, interlaboratory studies, benchmarking, reference materials, quality assurance and quality control, minimum reporting requirements, chemical space coverage, and false positives and false negatives. Applications linking chemical occurrence with sources, transport, transformation, bioavailability, bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, ecological or human exposure, fate and exposure models, prioritization, and regulatory or non-regulatory decisions are encouraged. The session will also examine how monitoring can generate data that remain useful for future chemical concerns through retrospective analysis of archived HRMS data, data and metadata requirements, integration of targeted, suspect screening and NTS workflows, and reusable datasets. This is timely considering Regulation (EU) 2025/2455, which requires the EEA to establish an early warning and action system for emerging chemical risks, with its first report due in July 2027. The session will address how NTS evidence can contribute to early warning, prioritization and regulatory follow-up. By connecting analytical advances with exposure assessment and decision making, the session aims to move from unknown chemical features to robust, actionable environmental information.