Industry research boost from University of Aberdeen

The programme will support new European and national strategies to reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals

The University of Aberdeen has joined a significant European research and innovation programme designed to develop next-generation chemical risk assessment.

In addition, the project will cover human health and the environment during a ‘One Health’ approach.

The European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) is a €400m, seven-year joint working initiative incorporating 200 partners in 28 countries, including the UK. It also involves research organisations and national agencies, as well as the European Chemicals Agency, the European Environment Agency and the European Food Safety Authority.

The results from the programme will subsequently support new European and national strategies to reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals and their impact on the environment and health. Ultimately, the goal is to generate easily accessible and usable data, while also devising new assessment methods.

Furthermore, PARC will assist with the development of tools to identify less hazardous substances, thereby upholding sustainable development approaches. In turn, this champions the EU’s chemicals strategy for sustainability and aiming for a ‘zero pollution’ scenario revealed in the ‘European Green Deal’.

Professor Paul Fowler at University of Aberdeen is optimistic about PARC’s future: “We are surrounded by a very complex mixture of natural and synthetic chemicals. Many of these chemicals are associated with either proven or and suspected health risks for humans, animals, and whole ecosystems.”

He added: “Examples include chemical and particulate air pollution, including nanoparticles, pesticide, chemicals in plastics, food contact materials, fire-retardants and food and water. Medicines released into the environment, either in urine or during production, pose health risks. An example is chemicals acting like female sex steroid hormones.”

The EU will fund 50% of the partnership’s €400m budget, while the organisation ANSES – the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety – will coordinate the project.