FINNISH RESEARCH PROGRAMME
ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
SYTTY

PROGRAM

REGISTRATION:

POSTERS

VENUE - HOW TO GET THERE

ACCOMMODATION

ORGANIZERS - CONTACT ADDRESS

Photos taken during the conference

 

THE FOURTH VALAMO CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RISK ASSESSMENT, Microbes: water, food and environment is a Gordon Research Conference type workshop to provide a forum for fruitful discussions and the free exchange of research ideas, disseminating education, and to create contacts between established scientists, post docs and doctoral students.

Scientists with common professional interests come together for several days and discuss the most advanced aspects of their field. The series of the Valamo Conferences aims to offer the participants a multidisciplinary and a holistic view to the environmental health problems.

This year the main themes are microbes in water, food and environment. In addition, aspects associated with novel food are included in the program. The molecular biological methods are on focus through all sessions.

The themes of the conference will also be discussed as a part of a comprehensive view on risk assessment in environmental health

The official language of the conference is English
 

 

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM

 

Wednesday, September 13, 2000

16.15 -             Tranportation from Kuopio to Valamo (free)
17.30 - 19.00    Registration
19.00 -             Dinner / Get-together /Sauna
 
 

Thursday, September 14, 2000

7.30-8.45      Breakfast

8.45-9.00      Opening of the conference
                  Director of SYTTY Jouko Tuomisto

SESSION I: NOVEL FOODS - THE IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

9.00-9.05       Opening of the session
                  Session moderator Atte von Wright (Finland)

9.05-9.50       Key note: The safety and social acceptance of genetically modified foods
                     Bevan Moseley (UK)

9.50-10.20     The evaluation of novel foods, the Finnish experience
                     Leena Mannonen (Finland)

10.20-10.45    General discussion

10.45-11.15    Coffee

11.15-11.30    POSTER PRESENTATIONS:
                  Pathogenicity of bovine shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli to humans
                  Tarja Pohjanvirta (Finland)

                     Epidemiology of potential EHEC bacteria on cattle farms
                     Sirpa Heinikainen (Finland)

11.30-12.00    Genetically modified organisms and environmental concerns
                     Sirpa Kärenlampi, University of Kuopio (Finland)

12.00-12.30    Food-borne bacterial pathogens: reservoirs in nature and significance on human health
                     Katri Jalava, University of Helsinki (Finland)

12.30-13.00    POSTER PRESENTATIONS:
                     The effect of weak organic acids on the growth rate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The CO2-stat study
                     Kaja Kasemets (Estonia)

                     Use of probiotic cultures in dairy products
                     Signe Kask (Estonia)

                     Binding of trichothecene toxins by probiotic bacteria
                     Angeliki Chrevatidis (Finland)

                     Screening of commercial meat starter cultures for potential probiotic use
                     Susanna Erkkilä (Finland)

13.00-15.30   Lunch and leisure

14.30-15.30   Guided tour in the monastery area

15.30-16.00    POSTER SESSION
 

SESSION II: MICROBES IN WATER DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS

16.00-16.05    Opening of the session
                     Session moderator Pertti Martikainen (Finland)

16.05-16.50    Key note: Bacterial resistance to chlorine  disinfection in drinking water distribution systems:
                     Reactivity and response of bacteria
                     Jean-Claude Block (France)

16.50-17.00    General discussion

17.00-17.15    POSTER PRESENTATIONS:
                   Microbial growth and biofilm formation in tap water hydraulic systems
                     Sari Soini (Finland)

                     Bacterial growth in humus-rich drinking water with a high mineral content
                     Talis Juhna (Latvia)

17.15-17.45    Coffee and posters

17.45-18.15    Natural organic matter in boreal freshwaters: Its role as nutrients for microbial heterotrophs
                     Uwe Munster (Finland)

18.15-18.45    Phospholipids  and fatty acids as a tool to characterise microbial communities in drinking water
                     Merja Suutari (Finland)

18.45-19.05    POSTER PRESENTATIONS:
                     Characterization of potable water pipeline sediments by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis
                     Leena Korhonen (Finland)

                     Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 3-hydroxy fatty acid analyses of microbial
                     community structure in drinking water and bio-films
                     Minna Keinänen (Finland)

                     The diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in enrichment cultures
                     from Finnish drinking water distribution systems
                     Mari Lipponen (Finland)

19.05-19.20    General discussion

19.20-19.50    Novel drinking water technologies
                     Heikki Kiuru (Finland)

20.00-            Dinner

21.00-            Sauna
 
 

Friday, September 15, 2000

8.00-9.00       Breakfast

SESSION III: FOOD AND WATERBORNE VIRUSES

9.00-9.05       Opening of the session
                     Session moderator Carl-Henrik von Bonsdorff (Finland)

9.05-9.50       Environmental virology, a matter of recognition?
                     Marion Koopmans (The Netherlands)

9.50-10.20      NL caliciviruses; a diarrhea you won’t forget
                     Carl-Henrik von Bonsdorff (Finland)

10.20-10.30    General discussion

10.30-11.00    Coffee

11.00-11.30    POSTER PRESENTATIONS:
                     (“MICROBES IN WATER DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS” CONTINUES)
                     Microbially available phosphorus, assimilable organic carbon and microbial growth
                     in Finnish drinking waters
                     Markku Lehtola (Finland)

                     Mechanical cleaning of drinking water pipelines - effects on the microbiological quality of water
                     Outi Zacheus (Finland)

                     Legionellabacteria here, there and everywhere? Should we do something?
                     Jaana Kusnetsov (Finland)

                     The effects of shock-heating and mechanical cleaning of tap and shower heads
                     on the occurrence of legionella and mycobacteria in hospital water systems
                     Eila Iivanainen (Finland)

11.30-12.00    Caliciviruses in Valamo
                     Marja Kukkula (Finland)

12.00-12.20    POSTER PRESENTATIONS:
                     Evaluation of four rapid methods for detection of chlorine and UV disinfected bacteria in water
                     Kari Ormerod (Norway)

                     PCR-DGGE –analysis of cyanobacteria in raw water sources
                     Jarkko Rapala (Finland)

                     Improving the quality of treated waste water by rapid sand filtration and its
                     effects on inactivation of indicator microbes by UV irradiation
                     Ritva Rajala (Finland)

12.20-12.40    General discussion

12.40-15.00    Lunch and leisure

13.20-            Excursion to Heinävesi waterworks

15.00-15.30    POSTER SESSION
 

SESSION III CONTINUES

15.30-16.20    Detection of enteric viruses in water and shellfish
                     Albert Bosch (Spain)

16.20-16.40    NL caliciviruses in food and water – a Finnish experience
                     Leena Maunula (Finland)

16.40-17.00    Coffee

17.00-17.30    Phages as indicator organisms of faecal contamination
                     Helvi Heinonen-Tanski (Finland)

17.30-17.50    POSTER PRESENTATIONS:
                     Occurrence and survival of salmonellae in Finnish municipal wastewater purification plants
                   Jari Koivunen (Finland)

                     Occurrence of Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia intestinalis in waste water
                     Ruska Rimhanen-Finne (Finland)

                     Survival of fish pathogen Yersinia ruckeri in anaerobic methanogenic bioreactor
                     detected by culturing and PCR
                     Marja Tiirola (Finland)

17.50-18.50    General discussion: Risk assesment for viral contamination

19.30-            Conference Dinner on Slavic style
 
 
 

Saturday, September 16, 2000

7.30-8.30       Breakfast

SESSION IV: MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOREMEDIATION
OF CHEMICALLY CONTAMINATED ENVIRONMENTS

8.30-8.35        Opening of the sesion
                      Session moderator Jaakkko Puhakka (Finland)

8.35-9.25        Key note: Anaerobic bioremediation of chlorinated xenobiotics
                      Fons Stams (The Netherlands)

9.25-9.40        POSTER PRESENTATIONS:
                      Start-up of sulfate-reducing suspension and biofilm reactors for acidic zinc
                      and ferrous iron containing wastewaters
                      Anna Kaksonen (Finland)

                     The diversity of ammonia-oxidizing and methane-oxidizing bacteria
                     in natural and manipulated organic soils
                     Ritva Vasara (Finland)

9.40-10.00     Coffee

10.00-10.30    Modern molecular methods for characterization of microbial communities
                     Mirja Salkinoja-Salonen (Finland)

10.30-10.40    Discussion

10.40-11.05    Mycorrhizal microbes in petroleum contaminated soils
                     Inga Sarand (Finland)

11.05-11.35    Microbial diversity of a chlorophenol contaminated aquifer
                     Minna Männistö (Finland)

11.35-11.50   General discussion

11.50-12.00    Best poster award

12.00-12.10    Concluding remarks
                     Soile Juuti, Coordinator of SYTTY (Finland)

12.10-12.50    Lunch

12.50-14.05    Transportation to Kuopio
 

ORAL PRESENTATIONS
The length of an oral presentation is 15-45minutes, including discussion. Audiovisual aids include dataprojector (allowing Power Point presentations), overhead and slide projectors. (If you wish to use dataprojector, please send the presentation by e-mail beforehand to sytty@ktl.fi)
 

 

POSTERS

Instructions for preparing a poster
 

 

REGISTRATION

Call for applications!
 

 

VENUE - HOW TO GET THERE

The conference centre is located in a countryside, at about 100 km distance from Kuopio in the eastern part of Finland.
The venue has an excotic atmosphere of an orthodox monastery.
More information about the Valamo monastery: http:/www.valamo.fi

A map

There is a bus from Helsinki to Valamo daily.
(Departure from Hki at 8.30, arrival to Valamo at 14.30).
 

 

ACCOMMODATION

Participants will be accommodated in the hotel or the guest-house of the Monastery.
Organizers will take care of all room reservations.
 

 
 

ORGANIZERS - CONTACT ADDRESS

The conference is organized by the
Finnish Research Programme on Environmental Health, SYTTY
in co-operation with
The Finnish Graduate School in Environmental Science and Technology, EnSTe

Organizing Committee

Carl-Henrik von Bonsdorff, University of Helsinki
Soile Juuti, SYTTY
Hannu Komulainen, National Public Health Institute
Pertti Martikainen, University of Kuopio, EnSTe
Ilkka Miettinen, National Public Health Institute
Jaakko Puhakka, Tampere University of Technology, EnSTe
Merja Suutari, National Public Health Institute
Jouko Tuomisto, SYTTY
Matti Viluksela, National Public Health Institute
Atte von Wright, University of Kuopio

 Main Page