The International Symposium “Impact of Chemical and Biological Hazards on the Environment, Animals and Human Health and its Countermeasure” was held in Swakopmund, Namibia

The International Symposium “Impact of Chemical and Biological Hazards on the Environment, Animals and Human Health and its Countermeasure” was held in Swakopmund, Namibia, October 10-11, 2023. A total of 31 faculty members and students from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Faculty of Engineering of Hokkaido University, the University of Zambia, the University of Namibia, the University of Botswana, and the University of Zimbabwe participated in the symposium.

In the keynote speeches of each session, chairs from Southern African countries introduced issues related to environmental conservation in their countries, and there was an active interaction during the Q&A sessions and in between the sessions.

 In the general lecture, a wide range of presentations were made, focusing on the sustainable development of mineral resources, which is a common issue in Southern African countries, as well as the health effects of environmental pollutants on different animal species, evaluation methods, and engineering methods to mitigate the environmental impact of the refining process and tailings treatment. The symposium also provided an opportunity for researchers and students from different fields to interact with each other on topics related to contamination and infectious diseases of land water and freshwater fish that inhabit it, which are essential for daily life.

Before and after the symposium, courtesy visits and facility tours were conducted at the University of Namibia and the Central Veterinary Laboratory, and ideas on the future development of the relationship were shared.