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We spend most of our time indoors; as a result there is an increasing demand for safe high-quality materials for healthy indoor environments. To fulfil this demand and to comply with a growing body of legislation, consumer products are routinely analysed. However, such analyses are expensive, slow, focused only on small groups of contaminants and, due to the toxic solvents needed for the treatment of the samples, not environmentally friendly. I will develop new and simpler analysis techniques in order to provide consumers, public institutions and companies with cheaper and faster answers regarding the safety and quality of products. High resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is ideal for this purpose because it has a high sensitivity and a strong elucidation capacity for molecular structures. I want to introduce the material directly into the MS instrument without any treatment or chromatography by using ambient HRMS sources. To achieve this goal, I have recently developed a fast method for the analysis of flame retardants in electronics. The analysis is carried out in less than 5 minutes with a minimal amount of sample by simply scratching the material and using commercially available MS instrumentation (the standard analysis takes around 1 day). On the basis of these promising results, I will develop new fast analysis methods for toxic additives in plastics, textile, paper, furniture, food contact materials, childrens toys, building materials and waste for recycling purposes (e.g. flame retardants, phthalates, antioxidants, etc.). In the second stage of this project, I will develop a single-step sample treatment and analysis combination for extending the applicability to more complex matrices or a low concentration of contaminants. These new techniques constitute a significant advance in the development of fast analytical methods and can be implemented in laboratories for the assurance of the chemical quality/safety of consumer products.

Adaptation to climate change is often geared towards large-scale investments to protect areas with high economic value. This largely neglects vulnerable and marginalized groups in coastal areas who are dependent upon natural resources and who have few resources to cope and recover from natural hazards. This project investigates how different adaptation measures reduce or increase the equal distribution of risk. Moreover, this project investigates how different adaptation strategies by governments and households can lead to reduced inequality, now and in the future.

This project investigated how climate extremes, such as floods and hurricanes, could impact national and global trade through transport infrastructure damage. By developing an innovative model that maps national and global trade and transport networks, we are now better able to understand the consequences of infrastructure network disruptions. The project led to significant insights, including identifying critical points in transport networks and developing a system-of-systems model for infrastructure resilience. The findings contribute to enhancing the climate resilience of critical infrastructure, both in the Netherlands and globally.

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