OverviewChris Sparham & Stuart Marshall

ECETOC is a scientific, non-profit making, non-commercial trade association with a mission to act as:

an independent, credible, peer-reviewed technical resource to all concerned with the identification of research needs and provision of scientific rationale for the assessment of health effects and environmental impact, and thereby to justify industry's licence and freedom to operate.

ECETOC’s approachECETOC believes that by identifying developing issues at their nascence, the chemicals industry will be better placed to undertake the appropriate scientific initiatives. What does it involve?Its particular remit is to contribute objective scientific evidence to the debate about the role of chemicals in the causality of disease and assure the process of risk assessment of these chemicals.It does so via the pursuit of the following 5 broad themes:The presence of chemicals in humansThe presence of chemicals in the environmentEffects on humans and ecosystemsMethodsThe science of risk assessment. Work with other stakeholders, such as academia, regulators, associations and international institutions to ensure that objective scientific evidence is used to provide the highest quality risk assessment of chemical products that minimises wherever possible the use of animals in testing.

Within the framework of the aforementioned 5 themes, ECETOC pursues the following 13 strategic science areas:

Presence of chemicals in human tissueChemicals in indoor airMixtures

Exposure issues

Sensitive sub-populationsReproductive healthBiodiversity & ecosystems

Intelligent/integrated testing strategiesOmics & related technologiesRisk assessment of innovation (nanotechnology)

Role of chemicals in the causality of diseaseRisk, hazard, precautionScience in society

Ongoing Task Forces

ECETOC task forces are established by ECETOC's Scientific Committee in response to an identified need or objective, which typically sit within the framework of its strategy. Examples:

• Development of guidance for assessing the impact of mixtures of chemicals in the aquatic environment

• Development of interim guidance for the inclusion of non-extractable residues (NER) in the risk assessment of chemicals

• ERA of ionisable compounds

• Guidance on interpreting endocrine disrupting effects within the constraints of REACH and the revised 91/414 directive

• Low-dose interactions

• Risk assessment approaches for PBT/vPvB or POPs

• Science needs in support of REACH

• Targeted risk assessment

• The application of critical body burden in risk assessment of SVHC

• Understanding the relationship between extraction technique and bioavailability