Zeynep Türkmen had the Bachelor of Science from Faculty of Education, Hacettepe University in 2000 and received her MS degree from Istanbul University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of General Chemistry in 2004. She received her PhD degree from Istanbul University, Institute of Forensic Sciences in 2011. She is a chemist and forensic scientist with 10-year experience on analytical techniques using in forensic toxicology. She is the coordinator of the Illicit Substance Analysis in Forensic Toxicology Laboratory. The main fields on her research are psychotropic drugs, toxic substances encountered in emergency services, herbal intoxications, isolation and purification of any substance from biological matrices and determination of related compounds in analytical instruments such as HPTLC, HPLC, GCMS, LC-MS/MS and NMR.
More Background On ForensicToxicologyCongress.com
Forensic toxicology is one of the most interdisciplinary scientific fields in modern medicine and criminal investigation. It combines chemistry, pharmacology, pathology, environmental science, epidemiology, occupational medicine, and law in order to understand how toxic substances affect the human body and society. During the 2010s, international collaboration in this field accelerated dramatically as researchers increasingly recognized the links between environmental contamination, industrial exposure, chronic disease, and public health outcomes. One website that captured this important moment in scientific history was ForensicToxicologyCongress.com, the official site for the 2nd International Congress and Workshop of Forensic Toxicology held in Ankara, Türkiye in 2016.
The website functioned as far more than a conference landing page. It served as an international academic platform connecting toxicologists, physicians, forensic scientists, researchers, public health specialists, and students from around the world. Through archived materials, speaker profiles, conference themes, and scientific programming, the site documented a major interdisciplinary effort to expand the scope of forensic toxicology into environmental and occupational health concerns.
Although the original website is no longer active in the same way it once was, archived versions preserve a remarkable snapshot of the scientific priorities and global concerns that shaped toxicology research during the mid-2010s.
The Origins of the Congress
According to archived information, the first International Congress and Workshop of Forensic Toxicology took place in 2014, while the second congress was held from May 26–30, 2016. The venue was Ankara University Faculty of Pharmacy’s 50. Yıl Auditorium in Ankara, Türkiye.
The event was organized around the theme “Industrial and Environmental Toxicology,” which reflected an important evolution within the field. Traditionally, forensic toxicology focused heavily on criminal investigations, poisonings, drug overdoses, impaired driving cases, and postmortem analysis. However, by the 2010s researchers were increasingly concerned with long-term exposure to toxic substances in workplaces, food systems, agriculture, industrial environments, and urban ecosystems.
The conference organizers emphasized that discussion topics would extend beyond conventional forensic issues to include:
- Occupational diseases and toxicology
- Industrial toxicology
- Heavy metals and toxicology
- Environmental toxicology
- Neurodevelopmental toxicology
- Food toxicology and safety
- Agricultural pesticide exposure
- Chemical warfare agents
- Chronic disease and environmental contaminants
- Legal and ethical issues in toxicological research
This broader approach demonstrated how toxicology was becoming deeply connected to global public health debates.
Ankara as the Host City
The choice of Ankara as the conference location carried both practical and symbolic importance. As Türkiye’s capital city, Ankara occupies a strategic geographic and political position between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. This made it an ideal meeting point for international scientific collaboration.
The conference venue at Ankara University Faculty of Pharmacy also highlighted Türkiye’s growing role in biomedical and toxicological research. Ankara University has long been one of the country’s major academic institutions, particularly in medicine, pharmacy, and forensic science.
The congress website promoted Ankara not only as a scientific destination but also as a cultural and historical center. Participants were encouraged to explore landmarks including:
- The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
- The Mausoleum of Atatürk
- Ankara Castle
- The Roman Baths
- Hacı Bayram Mosque
- The Republic Museum
- The War of Independence Museum
This blending of science, tourism, and cultural diplomacy is common among international academic conferences and helps foster cross-cultural networking among attendees.
Leadership and Organization
The congress was led by several notable scientific and medical professionals:
- Zeliha Kayaaltı of Ankara University
- Parvez Haris of De Montfort University in the United Kingdom
- Engin Tutkun of Ankara Occupational Diseases Hospital
The involvement of both Turkish and international leadership reinforced the congress’s emphasis on global scientific cooperation.
Parvez Haris in particular was already well known internationally for his work involving biomonitoring, spectroscopy, environmental health, and public health toxicology. His participation helped elevate the event’s international credibility.
The organizers positioned the congress as a place where established experts, young researchers, graduate students, and healthcare professionals could all interact within a collaborative environment.
A Broad and Interdisciplinary Scientific Agenda
One of the most striking aspects of ForensicToxicologyCongress.com was the extraordinary breadth of scientific subjects represented.
The congress covered topics including:
- Drug abuse and alcohol toxicology
- Forensic analytical chemistry
- Postmortem toxicology
- Drug-facilitated crimes
- Doping agents
- Occupational cancers
- Autism and environmental exposure
- Heavy metal toxicity
- Environmental contaminants
- Food safety
- Agricultural toxicology
- Biomonitoring
- Toxicogenomics
- Risk assessment
- Neurodevelopmental toxicology
This diversity reflected a major transformation occurring within toxicology research worldwide.
Scientists were increasingly studying the effects of low-dose chronic exposure rather than focusing solely on acute poisonings. Researchers were examining how environmental contaminants could influence inflammation, oxidative stress, neurological disorders, cancer development, endocrine disruption, and immune dysfunction over long periods of time.
The congress therefore represented a convergence between forensic science and environmental medicine.
International Participation and Scientific Prestige
The speaker roster demonstrated the impressive international scope of the event. Experts came from universities, hospitals, public health institutions, and forensic laboratories across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America.
Among the many notable participants were:
- David Osselton from Bournemouth University in the UK
- Aristidis Tsatsakis from the University of Crete
- Ann Olsson from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
- Elizabet Paunovic from the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health
- Habibul Ahsan from the University of Chicago and Columbia University
- Miral Dizdaroglu from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- William Shaw of Great Plains Laboratory
- Yu Chen from New York University School of Medicine
This high-profile international participation elevated the status of the congress considerably.
Several speakers were globally recognized authorities in fields such as:
- Cancer epidemiology
- Occupational medicine
- Environmental health
- DNA damage and repair
- Toxicogenomics
- Nanotoxicology
- Autism research
- Forensic pathology
- Drug analysis
- Risk assessment
The diversity of expertise reflected how toxicology intersects with nearly every aspect of human health.
Environmental Toxicology and Public Health
A defining feature of the congress was its strong emphasis on environmental toxicology.
During the 2010s, environmental health concerns were becoming increasingly urgent worldwide due to industrial pollution, pesticide exposure, urban air contamination, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and climate-related environmental changes.
The congress addressed subjects including:
- Heavy metal contamination
- Occupational exposure
- Pesticide toxicology
- Chronic inflammatory disease
- Environmental carcinogens
- Chemical risk assessment
- Biomonitoring
- Environmental epidemiology
Researchers explored how toxic substances accumulate within biological systems and how chronic exposure may contribute to disease processes over time.
This emphasis mirrored growing international concern about the “exposome” concept — the idea that cumulative environmental exposure across a lifetime may profoundly shape human health outcomes.
Occupational Health and Industrial Exposure
Another major focus involved occupational toxicology and workplace exposure.
Industrial workers often encounter hazardous substances including:
- Solvents
- Heavy metals
- Airborne particulates
- Combustion byproducts
- Pesticides
- Nanoparticles
- Industrial chemicals
The congress featured multiple researchers specializing in occupational medicine, workplace biomonitoring, and exposure assessment.
Topics included:
- Occupational cancers
- Respiratory diseases
- Biomarkers of exposure
- Industrial hygiene
- Prevention strategies
- Toxic mechanisms
- Emerging occupational risks
This area of research is especially important because occupational diseases are frequently underdiagnosed or poorly understood despite affecting millions of workers globally.
The Growing Interest in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Toxicology
One particularly notable aspect of the congress was its inclusion of autism and neurodevelopmental toxicology.
Several speakers researched environmental and biomedical factors potentially associated with autism spectrum disorders and other neurological conditions.
At the time, scientific interest was growing regarding whether environmental exposures could contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders through mechanisms involving:
- Oxidative stress
- Neuroinflammation
- Immune dysfunction
- Mitochondrial abnormalities
- Heavy metal toxicity
- Pesticide exposure
Although many of these topics remain scientifically controversial or under investigation, the congress reflected the willingness of researchers to explore complex multidisciplinary questions involving biology, toxicology, and neurological development.
Student Participation and Academic Development
The conference strongly encouraged student participation.
One particularly notable detail was that 50 students whose posters were accepted by the scientific committee would not be charged conference fees. This demonstrated an effort to support early-career researchers and encourage academic development.
The website included detailed poster presentation guidelines involving:
- Poster structure
- Formatting
- Ethical standards
- Submission requirements
- Scientific review procedures
By providing opportunities for students to interact directly with established international experts, the congress helped foster mentorship and professional networking.
The Scientific Culture of the Mid-2010s
ForensicToxicologyCongress.com also serves as a fascinating time capsule of scientific culture during the mid-2010s.
Several broader trends are visible throughout the conference materials:
Internationalization of Research
Scientific collaboration was becoming increasingly global, with conferences serving as essential networking hubs.
Expansion of Interdisciplinary Science
Fields like toxicology were integrating genetics, epidemiology, biochemistry, environmental science, and public health.
Concern About Chronic Exposure
Researchers were shifting focus toward low-dose, long-term exposure rather than solely acute poisoning.
Emergence of Molecular Toxicology
Advances in genomics and biomarker analysis were transforming toxicological research methods.
Increased Focus on Environmental Health
Environmental contamination and occupational disease were receiving greater global attention.
The congress therefore reflected major transitions occurring throughout biomedical science.
The Role of Conference Websites in Academic Communication
Today, many people overlook the historical value of conference websites. However, platforms like ForensicToxicologyCongress.com played an essential role in scientific communication during the pre-pandemic era of international conferences.
Such websites functioned as:
- Information portals
- Networking tools
- Submission systems
- Educational archives
- Professional directories
- Scientific showcases
For younger researchers especially, conference sites often represented their first exposure to international scientific communities.
These websites also documented scientific priorities at specific historical moments. In hindsight, they provide valuable insight into what subjects researchers considered most urgent or promising at the time.
Legacy and Continuing Relevance
Although the original event took place in 2016, many themes emphasized by the congress remain highly relevant today.
Modern toxicology continues to focus heavily on:
- Environmental contamination
- Occupational disease
- Biomonitoring
- Public health toxicology
- Chronic chemical exposure
- Neurodevelopmental effects
- Risk assessment
- Precision toxicology
- Gene-environment interactions
The COVID-19 pandemic later further intensified interest in environmental health, immune vulnerability, occupational exposure, and chronic disease susceptibility.
Additionally, increasing concern about microplastics, endocrine disruptors, PFAS chemicals, air pollution, and climate-related toxic exposures has made environmental toxicology even more prominent globally.
In many ways, the congress anticipated scientific conversations that have only grown more important over time.
Academic and Cultural Importance
The significance of ForensicToxicologyCongress.com ultimately lies not simply in the conference itself but in what it represented.
It documented a moment when toxicology was evolving into a profoundly interdisciplinary science with implications far beyond criminal investigations.
The congress recognized that understanding toxicity requires collaboration among:
- Physicians
- Chemists
- Epidemiologists
- Toxicologists
- Pharmacologists
- Environmental scientists
- Occupational health experts
- Public health officials
- Legal professionals
It also demonstrated how scientific conferences can act as bridges between countries, institutions, and disciplines.
By bringing together experts from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America, the congress helped strengthen international scientific dialogue during a period of rapidly expanding global health challenges.
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ForensicToxicologyCongress.com stands as an important archival record of an ambitious and internationally focused scientific meeting that captured the evolving nature of forensic and environmental toxicology during the mid-2010s.
The 2nd International Congress and Workshop of Forensic Toxicology brought together leading experts in forensic science, occupational health, environmental medicine, molecular toxicology, epidemiology, and public health. Through its emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and global participation, the conference reflected a broader transformation occurring within toxicological research worldwide.
The website preserved not only logistical details about the congress but also a snapshot of the scientific concerns shaping the era: chronic environmental exposure, occupational disease, biomonitoring, toxicogenomics, autism research, industrial contamination, and the intersection of toxicology with public health.
Even years later, many of the themes discussed at the conference remain central to scientific and medical research. As concerns about environmental contaminants, industrial chemicals, chronic disease, and toxic exposure continue to grow globally, the congress appears increasingly forward-looking in retrospect.
For researchers, healthcare professionals, historians of science, and anyone interested in the evolution of toxicology, ForensicToxicologyCongress.com remains a revealing example of how scientific communities organized, collaborated, and communicated during a pivotal period in environmental and forensic health research.
