Global perspectives on harmonizing chemical risk assessments: Current status and future needs
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Chemical assessment serves a fundamental role in the translation of science to policy. In recent years, there has been increasing attention to the need for more holistic and harmonized approaches to assessment that consider exposures across multiple frameworks and statutes (i.e., aggregate exposures), rather than the existing approach to assess one chemical in one context at a time. Harmonized risk assessment approaches can have numerous benefits, including decreasing the potential for duplication across government agencies, establishing standardized data submission requirements for industry, and reducing confusion to the public.
This symposium will discuss the current state of risk assessment in the European Union (EU) and United States (US) as well as goals and challenges in adopting a more integrated system (such as the “one substance, one assessment” approach). The symposium will begin with a brief introduction to current risk assessment approaches in the EU (Joanke van Dijk) and the US (Rachel Shaffer) as well as discussions about why a more integrated assessment approach is recommended. Then, we will focus on challenges related to the transparency, reliability, relevance, and accessibility of ecotoxicological and toxicological data within EU regulatory frameworks (Marlene Agerstrand). The final presentation (Richard Brown) will provide perspectives on this topic in the context of current efforts to advance harmonized control of chemicals and waste at the global level.