Why should SETAC Europe have a REACh Advisory Group?

REACh is the largest and most complex piece of chemical legislation ever introduced. Many thousands of pages of legislation and guidance exist describing the process, strategy and responsibilities at each step of the chemical life-stage. However, it is imperative that the risk management decisions which emanate from the REACh legislation are based on sound science. It is in this area that SETAC can provide a role in providing a forum for discussion, information sharing and dialogue with respect to the scientific issues within REACh.

Primary aims : SETAC Europe REACh Advisory Group

The primary aim of the Advisory Group (AG) therefore would be to serve as a focal point within SETAC Europe for scientific REACh-orientated discussions and activities. Specifically in

• discussing regulatory concerns in order to encourage and channel scientific activities,
• enhancing exchange of scientific information between experts in the relevant fields,
• promoting the further development of scientific solutions in order to facilitate the formulation of technical guidance by European Chemicals Agency (EChA).

The AG aims to do this by

• providing and maintaining an open dialogue and feedback on new and emerging scientific issues and practices with stakeholders, e.g., regulatory scientists and interested European organisations;
• providing cross-fertilisation of learning and knowledge exchange from approaches utilised in other EU legislation, such as crop protection (EEC/91/414) and BPD (EEC/98/8);
• organising sessions at SETAC annual meetings and ensuring workshops are planned and organised to address scientific issues associated with REACh;
• advocating the appropriate utilisation and derivation of environmental fate and ecotoxicological endpoints are in the chemical safety assessments;
• discussing the appropriate refinement of exposure scenarios and assessment;
• discussing and debating potential higher-tier risk assessment practices with a view to providing agreed statements and associated guidance on potential routes forward.

REACh is the largest and most complex piece of chemical legislation ever introduced. Many thousands of pages of legislation and guidance exist describing the process, strategy and responsibilities at each step of the chemical life-stage. However, it is imperative that the risk management decisions which emanate from the REACh legislation are based on sound science. It is in this area that SETAC can provide a role in providing a forum for discussion, information sharing and dialogue with respect to the scientific issues within REACh.