We need a global science-policy body on chemicals and waste

Wang, Zhanyun; Altenburger, Rolf; Backhaus, Thomas; Covaci, Adrian; Diamond, Miriam L.; Grimalt, Joan O.; Lohmann, Rainer; Schäffer, Andreas; Scheringer, Martin; Selin, Henrik; Soehl, Anna; Suzuki, Noriyuki

doi:10.1126/science.abe9090

Cited by 73 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…By contrast, the harmful effects of contaminants, such as methylmercury, lead, and persistent organic pollutants ( Storelli 2008 ), have been studied for decades, with well-documented adverse impacts on the environment and humans, in part because of the easier methodology compared with NMPs. Research on these traditional contaminants has led to specific global policies that have boosted human health, such as the banning of leaded gasoline internationally and the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm, and Minamata Conventions ( Wang et al. 2021b ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Children’s Health Perspective on Nano- and Microplastics

Sripada

Wierzbicka

Abass

et al. 2022

Environ Health Perspect

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Background: Pregnancy, infancy, and childhood are sensitive windows for environmental exposures. Yet the health effects of exposure to nano- and microplastics (NMPs) remain largely uninvestigated or unknown. Although plastic chemicals are a well-established research topic, the impacts of plastic particles are unexplored, especially with regard to early life exposures. Objectives: This commentary aims to summarize the knowns and unknowns around child- and pregnancy-relevant exposures to NMPs via inhalation, placental transfer, ingestion and breastmilk, and dermal absorption. Methods: A comprehensive literature search to map the state of the science on NMPs found 37 primary research articles on the health relevance of NMPs during early life and revealed major knowledge gaps in the field. We discuss opportunities and challenges for quantifying child-specific exposures (e.g., NMPs in breastmilk or infant formula) and health effects, in light of global inequalities in baby bottle use, consumption of packaged foods, air pollution, hazardous plastic disposal, and regulatory safeguards. We also summarize research needs for linking child health and NMP exposures and address the unknowns in the context of public health action. Discussion: Few studies have addressed child-specific sources of exposure, and exposure estimates currently rely on generic assumptions rather than empirical measurements. Furthermore, toxicological research on NMPs has not specifically focused on child health, yet children’s immature defense mechanisms make them particularly vulnerable. Apart from few studies investigating the placental transfer of NMPs, the physicochemical properties (e.g., polymer, size, shape, charge) driving the absorption, biodistribution, and elimination in early life have yet to be benchmarked. Accordingly, the evidence base regarding the potential health impacts of NMPs in early life remains sparse. Based on the evidence to date, we provide recommendations to fill research gaps, stimulate policymakers and industry to address the safety of NMPs, and point to opportunities for families to reduce early life exposures to plastic. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9086

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Children’s Health Perspective on Nano- and Microplastics

Sripada

Wierzbicka

Abass

et al. 2022

Environ Health Perspect

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“…There is an urgent need to strengthen the utility of science for policy and to improve the science–policy interface (Wang et al, 2021 ). Politicians require the simplification and standardization of risk assessments, but at the same time, it is essential that the use and utility of novel scientific findings are increased, through the development of a strong science to regulation feedback mechanism and vice versa.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Independent scientific advice has an eminent role in European policymaking and can contribute directly to improving the quality of legislations (EC, 2016a). There is, however, a need for a strong science-policy interface to effectively manage chemicals, in which scientists are involved in the decision making processes, while policymakers have direct access to experts in the scientific community (Wang et al, 2019(Wang et al, , 2021. Setting aside political and business considerations, and focusing strictly on the scientific foundation, this paper builds on a Discussion Forum held in a multi-partite setting at the 2020 Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Europe Annual Meeting, which was a virtual event.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The EU Green Deal's ambition for a toxic‐free environment: Filling the gap for science‐based policymaking

Dijk

Leopold

Flerlage

et al. 2021

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Around the world, many ambitious environmental conventions and regulations have been implemented over recent decades. Despite this, the environment is still deteriorating. An increase in the volume and diversity of chemicals is one of the main drivers of this deterioration, of which biodiversity loss is a telling indicator. In response to this situation, in October 2020, a chemicals strategy for sustainability (CSS) was published in the EU. The CSS is the first regional framework aiming to address chemical pollution in a holistic manner. The CSS covers the complete lifecycle of a chemical, including the design of better substances and remediation options, to remove chemicals from the environment. The strategy contains terms, such as a "toxic-free environment," for which no clear definition exists, potentially hampering the implementation of the CSS. In this paper, a definition for a "toxic-free environment" is proposed on the basis of a survey and a discussion held at the 2020 SETAC Europe Annual Meeting. In addition, key issues that are absent from the CSS but are considered to be key for the realization of a toxic-free environment are identified. To achieve the policy goals, it is recommended to align the definition of risk across the different chemical legislations, to establish a platform for open data and data sharing, and to increase the utility and use of novel scientific findings in policymaking, through the development of a strong science to regulation feedback mechanism and vice versa. The paper concludes that environmental scientists have the tools to address the key challenges presented in the CSS. However, an extra step is needed by both policymakers and scientists to develop methods, processes and tools, to increase the robustness and transparency of deliberation processes, and the utility of science. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;00:1-9.

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“…Notwithstanding the often considerable amount of chemical safety and environmental fate data that industries have to provide for many jurisdictions for their products, fears about new types of effects and dangers from mixtures have led to a climate of perpetual uncertainty, if not fear, for the future of natural ecosystems (Bergstrom et al, 2021). Indeed, it is now considered by many that chemical pollution is one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss today (Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, 2019), as well as damage to human health (Landrigan et al, 2018), and that more coherent approaches will be needed (Wang et al, 2021). Unfortunately, prospective analysis and risk assessment cannot guarantee identification of which chemicals might be harmful and which might not.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Weight‐of‐Evidence Approach and the Need for Greater International Acceptance of Its Use in Tackling Questions of Chemical Harm to the Environment

Johnson

Sumpter

Depledge

2021

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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As we attempt to manage chemicals in the environment we need to be sure that our research efforts are being directed at the substances of greatest threat. All too often we focus on a chemical of concern and then cast around for evidence of its effects in an unstructured way. Risk assessment based on laboratory ecotoxicity studies, combined with field chemical measurements, can only take us so far. Uncertainty about the range and sufficiency of evidence required to take restorative action often puts policymakers in a difficult situation. We review this conundrum and reflect on how the “Hill criteria,” used widely by epidemiologists, have been applied to a weight‐of‐evidence approach (a term sometimes used interchangeably with ecoepidemiology) to build a case for causation. While using a set of such criteria to address sites of local environmental distress has been embraced by the US Environmental Protection Agency, we urge a wider adoption of weight‐of‐evidence approaches by policymakers, regulators, and scientists worldwide. A simplified series of criteria is offered. Progress will require a sustained commitment to long‐term wildlife and chemical monitoring over a sufficient geographic spread. Development of a comprehensive monitoring network, coupled with assembling evidence of harm in a structured manner, should be the foundation for protecting our ecosystems and human health. This will enable us to not only judge the success or failure of our efforts but also diagnose underlying causes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:2968–2977. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

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We need a global science-policy body on chemicals and waste

Abstract: Major gaps in current efforts limit policy responses

Cited by 73 publications

References 10 publications

A Children’s Health Perspective on Nano- and Microplastics

A Children’s Health Perspective on Nano- and Microplastics

The EU Green Deal's ambition for a toxic‐free environment: Filling the gap for science‐based policymaking

The Weight‐of‐Evidence Approach and the Need for Greater International Acceptance of Its Use in Tackling Questions of Chemical Harm to the Environment

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