Specific Challenge:
Under ‘Towards a zero-pollution ambition for a toxic free environment’, the European Green Deal will propose a new Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, aiming at better protection of both humans and the environment against hazardous chemicals. In addition, there is growing concern about the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment[1].
Humans, wildlife and domestic animals are exposed to combinations of different chemicals via air, water (including the marine environment), food and feed, consumer products, materials and goods. The scientific understanding of combination effects has progressed in recent years and approaches for risk assessment and management of unintentional mixtures and combined exposures to chemicals are available.
In parallel with the development and implementation of regulatory approaches, there is a need to improve the scientific knowledge base. Current knowledge shows that exposures to combinations of chemicals pose risks to ecosystems and human health that may not be sufficiently managed under existing regulations. There is a need to advance regulatory science to provide policy-makers and risk assessors with validated and practically applicable approaches, methods and tools and to study the effectiveness and efficiency of different policy approaches. The effects of exposure of humans and the environment to combinations of chemicals should also be further explored.
Scope:
This topic calls for applied research studies, demonstrating how new tools and methodological approaches from regulatory science that are workable in a regulatory context and are based on the latest scientific evidence, can be applied to identify, quantify and prevent harmful co-exposures to industrial[2] chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
The applicants can address some or all of the following:
Expected Impact:
Selected projects under this topic are strongly encouraged to continuously share information and participate to joint activities to optimise synergies to address policy-relevant knowledge gaps.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 4 to 6 million would allow the specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
Cross-cutting Priorities:
Open Science
Gender
[1]Commission Communication on the EU strategic approach to pharmaceuticals in the environment COM(2019) 128 final.
[2]In this context the term ‘industrial chemicals is used to identify chemicals of anthropogenic origin, e.g. including pesticides, biocides, cosmetics etc.
[3]Chemical exposure data resulting from the projects data shall be shared via Information Platform for Chemical Monitoring IPCHEM (https://ipchem.jrc.ec.europa.eu/RDSIdiscovery/ipchem/index.html). Procedures and the network of reference laboratories established by HBM4EU (https://www.hbm4eu.eu) should be used.
[4]https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12264-Chemicals-strategy-for-sustainability-
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