Makoto Shimasaki, a second-year master’s student at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, was presented with the Otto Hutzinger Student Award for her oral presentation at the 39th International Symposium on Halogenated Persisitent Organic Pollutants (DIOXIN2019), held in Kyoto, from August 26 to 30. She studies in the Division of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology at the Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University.
Ms. Shimasaki made an oral presentation titled “Contaminaions of Organohalogen Compounds in Pet Cats, Cat Food and House Dust in Thailand”. This award is given for an outstanding oral presentation made by students and she was the single Japanese winner of the 6 awardees.
In her research, she investigated the concentrations of organohalogen compounds in serum of pet cats in Thailand, as well as cat food and house dust, which have been suspected as contaminant sources. She revealed that pet cats in Thailand are exposed to Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDEs), known as Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR), as highly as pet cats in developed countries. PBDEs is suspected as a risk factor for thyroid disease in cats.
This research result shows that pet cat contamination of pollutants needs to be addressed not only in developed countries, but also in developing countries.
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- Commemorative Plaque
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- Ms. Shimasaki