The NORMAN Association and the European Partnership for Chemicals Risk Assessment (PARC): let’s cooperate!
Valeria Dulio, Jan Koschorreck, Bert van Bavel, Paul J. Van den Brink, Juliane Hollender, John Munthe, Martin Schlabach, Reza Aalizadeh, Marlene Ågerstrand, Lutz Ahrens, Ian Allan, Nikiforos Alygizakis, Damià Barceló, Pernilla Bohlin‐Nizzetto, Susanne Boutroup, Werner Brack, Adèle Bressy, Jan H. Christensen, Ľuboš Čirka, Adrian Covaci, Anja Derksen, Geneviève Deviller, Milou M.L. Dingemans, Magnus Engwall, Despo Fatta‐Kassinos, Pablo Gago-Ferrero, Félix Hernández, Dorte Herzke, Klara Hilscherová, Henner Hollert, Marion Junghans, Barbara Kasprzyk‐Hordern, Steffen Keiter, S.A.E. Kools, Anneli Kruve, Dimitra A. Lambropoulou, M.H. Lamoree, P.E.G. Leonards, Benjamín López, Miren López de Alda, Lian Lundy, Jarmila Makovinská, Ionan Marigómez, Jonathan W. Martin, Brendan McHugh, Cécile Miège, Simon O’Toole, Noora Perkola, Stefano Polesello, Leo Posthuma, Sara Rodríguez‐Mozaz, Ivo Roessink, Paweł Rostkowski, Heinz Ruedel, Saer Samanipour, Tobias Schulze, Emma Schymanski, Manfred Sengl, Peter Tarábek, Dorien ten Hulscher, Νikolaos S. Τhomaidis, Anne Togola, Sara Valsecchi, S.P.J. van Leeuwen, Peter C. von der Ohe, Katrin Vorkamp, Branislav Vrana, Jaroslav Slobodnı́k
Abstract
Abstract The Partnership for Chemicals Risk Assessment (PARC) is currently under development as a joint research and innovation programme to strengthen the scientific basis for chemical risk assessment in the EU. The plan is to bring chemical risk assessors and managers together with scientists to accelerate method development and the production of necessary data and knowledge, and to facilitate the transition to next-generation evidence-based risk assessment, a non-toxic environment and the European Green Deal. The NORMAN Network is an independent, well-established and competent network of more than 80 organisations in the field of emerging substances and has enormous potential to contribute to the implementation of the PARC partnership. NORMAN stands ready to provide expert advice to PARC, drawing on its long experience in the development, harmonisation and testing of advanced tools in relation to chemicals of emerging concern and in support of a European Early Warning System to unravel the risks of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and close the gap between research and innovation and regulatory processes. In this commentary we highlight the tools developed by NORMAN that we consider most relevant to supporting the PARC initiative: (i) joint data space and cutting-edge research tools for risk assessment of contaminants of emerging concern; (ii) collaborative European framework to improve data quality and comparability; (iii) advanced data analysis tools for a European early warning system and (iv) support to national and European chemical risk assessment thanks to harnessing, combining and sharing evidence and expertise on CECs. By combining the extensive knowledge and experience of the NORMAN network with the financial and policy-related strengths of the PARC initiative, a large step towards the goal of a non-toxic environment can be taken.