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David Megson

Senior Lecturer in Chemistry and Environmental Forensics, Manchester Metropolitan University
David Megson is a senior lecturer in analytical chemistry and environmental science. He investigates sources of environmental pollutants and monitors their fate and transport in the environment using advanced analytical techniques, including multidimensional chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry.

His main research interests are in the field of environmental forensics, which involves identifying the sources of contamination and establishing the magnitude of any human or wildlife exposures. This involves the systematic and scientific evaluation of physical, chemical and historical information for the purpose of developing defensible scientific and legal conclusions regarding the source or age of a contaminant release into the environment." Or in more basic English; establishing the "who", "what", "when" and "where" from a contamination event.

Megson has previously worked as a technical advisor, conducting human health risk assessments and environmental forensics associated with contaminated land. He conducted a large variety of different projects assessing contamination and human exposure on a former gas works, a chemical factory, several former landfills, residential, industrial, allotments, public open space and highway schemes. He has also worked as an independent consultant in the past, and as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto.

Dark Waters' pollution threat isn't Hollywood hysteria – it could be a ticking timebomb worldwide

Feb 25, 2020 12:29 pm UTC| Insights & Views Entertainment

If you live in the US or Australia, youre likely to know about PFAS (or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances). But in the UK, few people have heard of them, despite one scientist I know describing the presence of...

Economy

Gulf Ceasefire Cracks Rattle Asian Markets and Push Oil Prices Higher

Optimism in Asian financial markets faded quickly on Thursday as early signs of instability in the Gulf ceasefire sent oil prices climbing again, reinforcing fears of a prolonged inflationary impact on the global economy....

Dollar Stabilizes Amid Fragile US-Iran Ceasefire as Markets Watch Hormuz Strait

The U.S. dollar edged higher in early Thursday trading after suffering broad losses, as investors cautiously monitored the durability of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The dollar index climbed a...

Gold Prices Dip Amid Middle East Uncertainty and Inflation Fears

Gold prices edged lower during Asian trading on Thursday, retreating after modest gains in the previous session as investors continued monitoring escalating Middle East tensions threatening a fragile ceasefire between the...

Oil Prices Rebound as Hormuz Disruptions and Middle East Tensions Rattle Markets

Oil prices recovered Thursday following their sharpest single-day decline since April 2020, as ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and escalating Middle East tensions renewed fears over global crude supply. By...

U.S. Futures Dip as Iran Ceasefire Faces Early Challenges

U.S. stock index futures edged slightly lower Wednesday evening as investors monitored the fragile state of a newly announced Iran-U.S. ceasefire agreement. The cautious overnight movement followed an exceptional trading...

Politics

Taiwan Defense Budget: U.S. Senator Urges Legislature to Pass Spending Plan

Republican Senator Jim Banks visited Taipei and delivered a direct message to Taiwans President Lai Ching-te: the islands parliament must stop stalling and approve a proposed special defense budget. Banks, a member of the...

Haiti Election 2025: Voter Registration Delayed Amid Ongoing Security Crisis

Haitis Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has officially announced the postponement of a voter registration drive that was originally set to begin on April 1. The council stated that updated registration dates would be...

Anthropic Fights Pentagon Blacklisting in Dual Federal Court Battles

A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has refused to halt the Pentagons national security blacklisting of AI company Anthropic, delivering a temporary win for the Trump administration. The ruling comes as another...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

FCC Moves to Ban All Chinese Labs From Testing U.S. Electronics

The Federal Communications Commission is escalating its crackdown on Chinese technology by preparing to vote on a sweeping proposal that would prohibit all Chinese laboratories from testing electronic devices intended for...

Science

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

Technology

Alibaba Shares Slide as Jefferies Slashes Price Target Over AI Spending and Business Losses

Alibabas Hong Kong-listed shares (HK:9988) dropped 2.9% to HK$122.70 on Thursday, emerging as one of the heaviest drags on the Hang Seng Index, which closed 0.6% lower. The selloff came after investment bank Jefferies...

U.S. Disrupts Russian Military Hackers' Global DNS Hijacking Network

The U.S. Justice Department has successfully executed a court-authorized operation to dismantle a DNS hijacking network tied to Russian military intelligence. The network was run by GRU Military Unit 26165, a cyber unit...

Samsung Electronics Posts Eightfold Profit Surge Driven by AI Chip Demand

Samsung Electronics delivered a stunning financial turnaround in the first quarter of 2025, projecting operating profit of approximately 57.2 trillion won (roughly $38 billion) a more than eightfold increase compared to...

China's Push to Steal Taiwan's Chip Technology and Talent Raises Security Alarms

Taiwans National Security Bureau has raised serious concerns about Beijings escalating efforts to infiltrate the islands world-class semiconductor industry. According to a report submitted to Taiwanese lawmakers, China is...

Apple's Foldable iPhone Faces Engineering Setbacks, Mass Production Timeline at Risk

Apples highly anticipated foldable iPhone is running into significant engineering hurdles during its test phase, raising concerns about potential delays in both mass production and product shipments, according to a report...