EGU26 Attendance and Presentation

Assoc. Prof. Ulas Tezel from the Institute of Environmental Sciences delivered an oral presentation titled "Biodegradation masks the overall chemical impact of seasonal pandemics on riverine systems: The case of quaternary ammonium disinfectants during COVID-19" at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2026, held in Vienna, Austria (May 2-9, 2026).

The study investigated the fate of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), widely used disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic, in five Turkish river systems. The findings reveal that biodegradation masks the true ecological footprint of these chemicals, and that microbial communities and antibiotic resistance patterns serve as hidden indicators of disinfectant pressure even when chemical concentrations appear low.