In 2016 the LREPF completed 60 years of experience in the determination and quantification of pollutants in diverse environments, ranging from the Amazon to Antarctica. LREPF pioneered the research on the interaction between pollutants and human health, with the beginning of its studies in the 1970s on human exposure to radionuclides and the environmental dynamics of these elements. Currently the studies performed in LREPF have been directed to the evaluation of environmental and human contamination by heavy metals and organic micropollutants.

​

LREPF represents one of the most prominent Brazilian research groups in this area and part of the success the group has achieved in its studies comes from successful partnerships with national and international research groups. These partnerships provide a dynamic flow of ideas and knowledge, fundamental for maintaining the high quality of the studies and results obtained.

​

As part of the strategy for establishing and maintaining these partnerships, the Laboratory has been carrying out the International Workshop on Pollutants in the Environment (IWPE), where researchers, teachers and students from Brazilian, European, North and South American and Asian groups meet to present their research. During these workshops the debates of high technical-scientific level allow results and discussions to be improved and new questions arise, leading to innovative projects and new partnerships.