Regulatory toxicology II
– the European perspective on how regulatory bodies and agencies are working and interacting in the risk assessment and risk management areas of chemicals safety
SWACCS held the first part of this seminar series in 2022/23 with presentations from three Swedish agencies and PFAS was used as an illustrative example, highlighting the complexity of handling a widespread “new” contaminant. In a next step, we have invited agencies and organisations involved in the assessment and management of chemical risks at the level of the European Union to present their work and challenges and thereby further the training in regulatory toxicology sciences with a focus on how scientific data is used in the regulatory processes.
Here you can find a detailed course description.
For the upcoming autumn/spring 2023/24 – the dates and program are as follows:
October 3, 2023 13.00-14.00
Peeter Pärt (Swedish Agricultural University (SLU))
Introduction to the seminar series. Brief presentation of the EU governance system in general and decision making concerning chemical safety.
Peeter Pärt has a PhD in Zoophysiology from Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, and was until 1997 Lecturer in Ecotoxicology at Uppsala University. From June 1997 until retirement 2018, he was first Head of Unit Environmental Toxicology and later Advisor in Environment and Human Health Interactions in the European Commission, Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy.
November 7, 2023 13.00-14.00
Linda Spjuth (European Chemicals Agency)
General presentation from ECHA with outlooks on how ECHA is using scientific information
Linda Spjut has a MSc and a PhD in Veterinary Medicine from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala. Her PhD project dealt with the effect of an phthalate (DEHP) on sperm quality in boars. After the PhD, she worked for two years for the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KemI) before moving to Helsinki to work for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in 2009. In ECHA she is working in the Classification and labelling unit, with special focus on reproductive toxicity.
December 5, 2023 13.00-14.00
George Kass (European Food Safety Authority)
Presentation from EFSA and how EFSA is using scientific information in its work
George Kass was trained as a biochemist. He received his PhD in biochemical toxicology from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm in 1990. After a post-doc at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich he returned to the Karolinska Institute as Assistant Professor. In 1994 he moved to the University of Surrey in the UK where he became Professor of Toxicology. He moved to the European Food Safety Authority in 2009, where is Lead Expert in toxicology. He is on the UK Register of Toxicologists and is EUROTOX Registered.He has published over 140 papers in the field of toxicology and chemical risk assessment. A substantial part of his research has focused on the molecular mechanisms of drug toxicity and on liver injury. Currently, he is Associate Editor of Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. In 2020, he was elected to the Académie d’Agriculture de France.
January 23, 2024 13.00-14.00
Elisabeth Berggren: (European Commission – Joint Research Centre (JRC))
Presentation of EU Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing (EURL ECVAM )
Elisabet Berggren is Deputy Head of Unit of the Systems Toxicology Unit, at the Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission. Elisabet started to work for the European Commission in 1996 at the European Chemicals Bureau, and in 2009, she changed to her current unit, which is also hosting the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (ECVAM) as established under the Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. Elisabet made her PhD in physical chemistry at Stockholm's University 1991, and thereafter worked with related research at the University of Bologna and at Lund University, prior starting her position with the European Commission.
March 12, 2024 13.00 - 14.00
Magnus Lofstedt (European Environment Agency (EEA))
Presentation from EEA work in the area of chemicals
Magnus Løfstedt has been working with regulatory toxicology and assessments of chemicals since 2006. First at the Danish Environmental Protection Agency and later at the European Environment Agency. His work spans from technical hazard and risk assessments of chemicals for human health and the environment to policy development and implementation covering a number of European chemicals legislations such as REACH, CLP, the Water Framework Directive, The Cosmetics Directive, etc. He is currently involved in the European research partnership PARC where he is co-leading the work package on the science to policy interface in order to ensure that the research activities are relevant for policy objectives and can help to solve regulatory needs. He is also involved in the development of a toolbox on Safe and Sustainable by Design which aims to include safety and sustainability considerations early in the design process of new chemicals and materials.
April 09, 2024 13.00 - 14.00
Dorota Jarosinska World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional office for Europe)
Presentation of the role of WHO concerning advise and actions on chemicals and chemical safety
Dorota Jarosinska works at the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health. She manages a programme on Living and Working Environments, which covers diverse portfolio: air quality and health, health aspects of climate change mitigation, environmentally sustainable health systems, chemical safety, environmental noise, and occupational health. Recently, she coordinated the project to develop new WHO global air quality guidelines. Dorota is a medical doctor by training, specialist in public and health. Before joining WHO she worked at the European Environment Agency on environment and health; she contributed to the development of the EEA/JRC report on environment and health, as well as of the EEA European state of the environment reports.
May 14, 2024 13.00 – 14.00
Jonathan Kleimark (ChemSec – the International Chemical Secretariat)
Presentation from an European Non Governmental Organization (NGO) in the area of chemical safety.
Jonatan Kleimark is Senior Chemicals and Business Advisor at ChemSec, a Swedish NGO working towards reducing the use of hazardous chemicals. He has a background as a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and has worked for several years as a project manager within the MedTech and Pharma industry. At ChemSec, he leads the different PFAS initiatives and is project manager of ChemSec Business group. In addition, he is expert on availability and viability of safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals.
On Zoom:
https://slu-se.zoom.us/j/65534082231
Meeting ID: 655 3408 2231
Passcode: 065644
Warm welcome!
Swaccs’ working group on education
Anders Glynn and Peeter Pärt
(Pssst!….Interested in the slides from Part I ? - click here)