SEAFAST International Seminar “Current and Emerging Issues of Food Safety : Innovation Challenges” held on November 20 – 21, 2017 in Bogor – Indonesia.
Work in EuroMix WP3 presented both as poster and oral presentation with the title: “Analysis of Head Skeletal Malformation in Zebrafish Embryos for Chemical Mixture Assessment: Case for Mixture between Azole Compounds and TCDD“.
The poster was awarded as the best poster presentation of the seminar.
The second Scientific Advisory Board meeting in EuroMix was held November 10th 2017 in Ghent, Belgium. The objective of the meeting was to inform the Scientific Advisory Board members on the progress made in the EuroMix project on the test strategy and the tools that will be released for future testing and risk assessment of mixtures. It also aimed to obtain feedback regarding the work carried out and ensure relevance of the test strategy for users in the future.
EuroMix activities were presented at the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES) 2017 Annual Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, October 15-17 2017
Three members of the EuroMix consortium presented recent advancements in the PBPK modelling approaches and model integration within the EuroMix project during a distinct EuroMix session on „The Role of PBPK Modelling in Holistic Exposure and Risk Assessment – Case Studies and Developments within the EU Project EuroMix” at the world’s largest exposure conference. The session was led by Cecile Karrer and Dr Natalie von Goetz from ETH Zurich. A talk given by Cecile Karrer (ETH Zurich, Switzerland) initiated the session on a new PBPK model for the bisphenol A substitutes BPF and BPS, this was followed by Paul Quindroit (Ineris, France) who presented a new PBPK model for pyrethroids and finally Waldo de Boer (Biometris, The Netherlands) presented and discussed the new features of the integrated model environment for the web-based EuroMix toolbox.
For more information on the presentations listed below, please access the abstract book here.
TU-SY-E2-284: “PBPK Modelling of Bisphenol S and Bisphenol F” – Karrer, C.
TU-SY-E2-285: “Development of a toxicokinetic modeling approach to estimate the cumulative exposure to pyrethroids” – Quindroit, P.
TU-SY-E2-286: “A web-based toolbox linking kinetic models to risk assessment” – de Boer, W.
EuroMix efforts on international harmonisation on cumulative risk assessment were presented in a lecture by Angelo Moretto, form University of Milan, partner of EuroMix, at the “ECPA Residues Workshop 2017, The current and future challenges”, held in Brussels, 16-17 October 2017. The title of the presentation was ““Looking at harmonisation opportunities – the Euromix project and JMPR considerations” and it was well received by the about 80 attendants from different parts of the world and different sectors (food industry, pesticide producers, regulatory, farmers’ associations) and discussion continued after the session ended. There appears to be a lot of interest in any effort towards harmonization and consistency of approaches to risk assessment of pesticides.
Recruitment goals achieved!
We are happy to announce that the EuroMix human cohort (WP7) has reached the projected number of participants. In total 145 persons (99 women and 46 men, aged 23-70) were recruited among employees at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and their family and friends, as well as students and employees at universities, hospitals and health institutions in the region of Oslo, Norway. Participation included self-monitoring of foods and cosmetic use for 24 hours, and in parallel the collection of 24 hours urine. Skin wipes and blood samples were taken at the end of the 24-hour study period.
Dissemination activities in order to recruit volunteers
The EuroMix human cohort has been presented at internal meetings at NIPH and communicated through e-mails, the intranet (three headline-stories), and trough posters and stands during a research event on 16th of June 2017. Externally, two targeted Facebook campaigns were initiated (June + August), and several institutions were asked to shared information about the human cohort on their intranet.
Photo: NIPH employees visiting the EuroMix human cohort stand during a research event on 16th of June 2017
The 45th European Teratology Society Meeting was held in Budapest, Hungary on September 4-7, 2017. Elena Menegola and the team at the Univeristy of Milan were awarded during the meeting with „The Teddy Edward’s memorial Prize for Research into Congenital Malformation“ for their work in EuroMix work package 3 on the effects of teratogens on crania-facial morphogenesis.
The ETS (European Teratology Society) was created in 1971 and are dedicated to the prevention of adverse effects on reproduction and development. The core objectives of the European Teratology Society are to stimulate interest in, and promote the exchange of ideas and information about, the causes and prevention of adverse effects on reproduction and development allowing the exchange of knowledge among experts from academia, regulative agencies and industries.
The Teddy Edwards Prize for Research into Congenital Malformations is an award to the poster or free communication, which best exemplifies the aims of the Society. It’s the main appreciation award assigned directly from the ETS committee.
Dr Marc Kennedy (Statistician at Fera) will give a talk on September 19th to Defra’s Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee (HSAC).
HSAC is considering the issue of combination effects of chemicals, working with others. The HSAC committee is aware that there are a number of ongoing initiatives being carried out in the international arena and has invited Dr Andy Hart and Dr Marc Kennedy to hear about Euromix. Dr Kennedy will give a general introduction to Euromix and some detail on the cumulative and aggregate exposure modelling. Dr Hart will give a second talk in December, in which the broader issues of uncertainty and risk will be covered. Other UK researchers will also present related research at these meetings.
The Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee (HSAC) provides expert advice on how to protect the environment, and human health via the environment, from potentially hazardous substances and articles, including nanomaterials.
Jacob van Klaveren will present EuroMix at the 2nd meeting of the WHO chemical risk assessment network that will be hosted by the European food safety authority (EFSA) 20-22 June 2017 in Parma, Italy. This meeting is part of the ongoing WHO-EFSA network activities.
The agenda for the meeting can be found here.
For more information on the network, click here.
8 Jun – 9 Jun 2017, Park Inn by Radisson Köln City West, Cologne/Germany
EuroMix participants are giving talks at this conference.
For more information click here.
Second workshop on international harmonisation on the risk assessment of combined exposures to chemicals
Thon Hotel EU, Rue de la Loi 75, 1040 Bruxelles, Belgium
17 May 2017
The EUROMIX consortium organised the second of a series of workshops to discuss international harmonisation of approaches to the risk assessment of combined exposure to chemicals on 17th May 2017. The workshop was held at the Thon Hotel EU, Brussels, Belgium. The 19 participants at the workshop were drawn from a range of geographical and regulatory areas, with risk assessors and risk managers from several continents (Europe, USA, Canada and Brazil) and authorities (DG SANTE, DG ENV, EFSA, JRC, OECD, Codes Alimentarius, WHO, US EPA, US FDA, RIVM, BfR) present.
The main aims of this workshop were to understand current and upcoming legislative needs for cumulative risk assessment of chemicals (with a focus on the diet); how this varies across chemical sectors (e.g. pesticides, additives) and the extent to which this might be harmonized; how this varies across geographical region and the opportunities for harmonization; the role that scientific research, and particularly that of EuroMix, might play in the development and implementation of legislation in this area.
Risk managers in the areas of pesticides, food additives, chemical contaminants and chemicals in general provided perspectives on the need for cumulative risk assessment; practicalities of implementing risk management of combined exposures to chemicals within and across sectors; the degree of precaution necessary in current and future approaches; what do risk managers need from science? Participants in the EuroMix project outlined the approaches they proposed, including tiered assessment, the EuroMix toolbox, and the EuroMix approach to assessing chemical grouping using AOP-wise methods and uncertainty quantification.
Participants reached a number of general conclusions. Currently there is no overarching approach to cumulative risk assessment in Europe (or elsewhere) but work in now ongoing to explore this, for example at OECD and EFSA. Approaches to cumulative risk assessment vary across sectors and with geography. The most common approach for grouping chemicals is based on common structure and/or co-occurrence and/or designed function. EuroMix will explore the implications of different exposure and toxicology choices in grouping chemicals to enable harmonization where appropriate and desirable.
The conclusions of the workshop will be written up in the minutes of the meeting and will be explored further at the 3rd workshop in the series, to be held late 2017 or early 2018.
Participants at the Second EuroMix Workshop on the International Harmonisation of Approaches to the Risk Assessment of Combined Exposure to Chemicals, 17th May, 2017. Thon Hotel EU, Brussels, Belgium. Not shown are Alan Boobis, Peter Korytar, Jiri Sochor and Frans Verstraete.
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First EuroMix Workshop on the International Harmonisation of Approaches to the Risk Assessment of Combined Exposure to Chemicals
The EuroMix consortium organised the first of a series of workshops to discuss international harmonisation of approaches to the risk assessment of combined exposure to chemicals over 20-21 October 2016. The workshop was held at the Hammersmith Campus of Imperial College London, the partner tasked with coordinating this activity within EuroMix. The 15 participants at the workshop encompassed wide geographical and regulatory coverage, with scientists from several continents (Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Australasia, Africa) and authorities (EFSA, OECD, JRC, US EPA, APVMA (Australia), FAO, RIVM, BfR) present.
The focused discussions covered a number of the key scientific issues that will need to be resolved to enable international harmonization of the approaches used. Aspects included the importance of explicit and transparent problem formulation, which categories of chemicals should be covered, what is meant by co-exposure, what factors (biological and/or exposure) should determine assessment groups, the role of detailed information on adverse outcome pathways/modes of action and how this might be obtained, whether there was a need to address the possibility of synergy, and probabilistic exposure assessment, including the need for common reporting formats.
Participants identified a number of areas where there was general agreement and those areas where further discussion would be necessary before harmonisation would be possible. The conclusions of the workshop will contribute to developing the agenda for the 2nd workshop in the series, to be held 17th May, 2017.
Participants at the First EuroMix Workshop on the International Harmonisation of Approaches to the Risk Assessment of Combined Exposure to Chemicals, 20-21 October, 2016. Hammersmith Campus, Imperial College London.
here is the report of “EuroMix First Workshop on International Harmonisation on the Risk Assessment of Combined Exposures to Chemicals”.
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