Chemical safety and biosafety

The Global Forum on Environment discussed the challenges posed by chemicals, provided knowledge on effective and sustainable policies for the sound management of chemicals. Together, leading actors in the field of chemicals management promoted effective engagement, collaboration and action on the sound management of chemicals and waste. The speakers included regulators and policy makers in charge of chemical safety in OECD member and partner countries as well as relevant stakeholders from International Governmental Organisations, private industry organisations and companies, civil society, philanthropies and more.

Production and consumption of chemicals is rapidly increasing in emerging economies while the design of chemical management policies, the establishment of legal and institutional frameworks and the implementation of risk assessment methodologies and risk management decisions require a great deal of efforts in terms of time and resources from governments and industry. This Global Forum will serve as a tool for fostering networking and cooperation between partner and member countries.

This meeting was organised by the OECD as part of the activities of the OECD Joint Meeting on the Chemicals Committee and the Working Party on Chemicals, Pesticides and Biotechnology and in relation to development cooperation in the area of chemicals sound management. 

Programme and Speakers 

Access the full programme and the list of speakers below:

Programme and presentations

Opening Session: Angel Gurria, Secretary-General, OECD

Session 1 - Acting now: why improving the management of chemicals is crucial

1.1 Global burden of disease:

Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization (WHO)

1.2 Pollution and health: A development threat

Richard Fuller, President of Pure Earth

1.3 Vision for the new international framework for the sound management of chemicals and waste post 2020

Isabella Lövin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Environment and Climate, Sweden

Session 2 - Challenges with setting-up and implementing a cost-effective industrial and consumer chemicals management system

2.1 Challenges in deciding on risk management measures: risk management for groups of chemicals

Moderator: Valentina Bertato, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission

Panellists:

• David Morin, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister of the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada | Presentation
• Peter Dawson, Principal Scientist, EPA, New Zealand, Chair of Stockholm POPs Review Committee | Presentation
• Ronald Bock, Chairman of the PlasticsEurope Fluoropolymer Group | Presentation

• Tom Grinter, Sector Director for Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, Pulp and Paper, and Rubber Industries at IndustriALL Global Union | Presentation
  
  
  

2.2 Challenges in risk management along the life-cycle of chemical (in) products: the Safe-by-design concept

Moderator: Dirk Pilat, Deputy Director, Science, Technology and Innovation Directorate, OECD

Panellists:

• Ramjitti Indaraprasirt, Manager, Nanosafety Alliance department, National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), Thailand | Presentation

• Ronald Flipphi, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Netherlands | Presentation
• Francis Peters, Consultant for the rubber industry | Presentation
• Christina Raab, Vice President, Strategy and Development, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute | Presentation

2.3 Best practices in setting up and maintaining an inventory of chemicals

Moderator: Zhanyun Wang, senior researcher in the Ecological Systems Design Group, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Panellists:

• Jukka Malm, Deputy Executive Director, European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) | Presentation
• Yvette T. Collazo, Director of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Presentation
• Le Viet Thang, Deputy Head of Conventions and International Cooperation Division, Vietnam Chemicals Agency, Ministry of Industry and Trade | Presentation

• Leendert van Dijk, Manager of Product Stewardship and Regulatory Affairs AP, Eastman Chemical Asia Pacific, Singapore | Presentation

2.4 Best practices in setting-up legal and institutional frameworks

Moderator:  Monika Gail MacDevette, Chief, Chemicals and Health Branch, Economy Division, UN Environment Programme | Presentation

Panellists:

• Roshini Jayewardene, acting Executive Director, Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) | Presentation
• Yoon Young Seo, Deputy Director of the Chemical Safety Division, Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea | Presentation
• Sebahattin Dökmeci, Deputy Director General of the Directorate General of Environmental Management, Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, Turkey | Presentation
• Tatiana Santos, Policy Manager on Chemicals and Nanotechnology, European Environmental Bureau (EEB) | Presentation

Session 3 - The Covid-19 crisis and its possible impacts on future chemicals management systems

Panellists:

• Sylvie Lemoine, Executive Director, Product Stewardship, European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) 

• Jeremy Wates, Secretary General, European Environmental Bureau | Presentation

Session 4 - Conclusions and Opportunities for future collaborative actions

Moderator: Sara Broomhall, Director of the Contaminants, Standards, and Advice Section, Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment 

Panellists:

• Gertrud Sahler, Director-General of Environmental Health, Emission Control, Safety of Installations and Transport and Chemical Safety, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety Organisation
• Satoru Morishita, Senior Adviser to the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), Japan | Presentation
• Jorge Ocana, Manager of the Chemicals and Waste Programme, United Nations for Training and Research (UNITAR)
• Thais Araujo Cavendish, Co-ordinator of Environmental Health Surveillance, Ministry of Health, Brazil

• Kristie Sullivan, Vice President of Research Policy, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Background documents

Disclaimer: Participants in the Global Forum have offered to share the following background information that you may find of interest.The opinions and arguments expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the OECD or its member countries.

Session 1 - Acting now: why improving the management of chemicals is crucial

Richard Fuller, Pure Earth:

• Challenges in deciding on risk management measures: risk management for groups of chemicals: Contaminated Site Clean-Up Information (CLU-IN) provides information about innovative treatment, characterization, and monitoring technologies to the hazardous waste remediation community.
• Best practices in setting up and maintaining an inventory of chemicals: Lead Pollution Data          
• Global Mercury Program: Proven Strategies To Eliminate Mercury Use In Gold Mining, Remediate Contaminated Sites, And Reduce Health Risks
• Toxic Site Identification Program and Toxic Site Identification Program: Investigating and mapping toxic sites in Brazil and worldwide (video)
• The Toxic Truth: Children’s Exposure to Lead Pollution Undermines a Generation of Future Potential (UNICEF, 2020)
• Global Lead Program overview
• Lead Pollution Data 
• Technical Guidance documents on the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) website, including the establishment and implementation of remediation programs; Contaminated Site Clean-Up Information (CLU-IN) provides information about innovative treatment, characterization, and monitoring technologies to the hazardous waste remediation community.
  
  

Session 2 - Challenges with setting-up and implementing a cost-effective industrial and consumer chemicals management system

Session 2.1 Challenges in deciding on risk management measures: risk management for groups of chemicals

OECD:

• Per and poly-fluorinated chemicals web Portal to facilitate the exchange of information on per and poly-fluorinated chemicals, focusing specifcally on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)
• Considerations for Assessing the Risks for Combined Exposure to Multiple Chemicals: This report outlines the technical aspects of the various approaches and methodologies available with respect to the assessment of risks from combined exposures to multiple chemicals. The document draws from approaches applied and experience gained in the regulatory context and will therefore be most relevant to the regulatory authorities addressing chemicals, the regulated community and other interested stakeholders. The considerations are not presented as strict guidance but rather elements to recognise in assessing combined exposures to multiple chemicals.
  
  

Valentina Bertato, European Commission:

• Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability Towards a Toxic-Free Environment
• Staff Working Document on Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
  
  

Think-Film Impact Production (TFIP)

• TFIP is a European-based film impact consultancy and production company that harnesses the power of visual storytelling to drive forward political and social change. Partnering with the film Dark Waters, TFIP has developed the following video to inspire further policy discussions on the management of PFAS chemicals. The video includes scenes from the film and reflections from policy makers and stakeholders. View the video here. There are multiple views on this topic, you can respond to the accompanying interactive survey developed by TFIP to provide yours. 
  
  

Session 2.2 Challenges in risk management along the life-cycle of chemical (in) products: the Safe-by-design concept

OECD:

• Global Forum on the Environment – Sustainable Design of Plastics from a Chemical Perspective (Denmark, 2018): Considerations and Criteria for Sustainable Plastics from a Chemical Perspective, Technical Tools and Approaches in the Design of Sustainable Plastics, Working paper on Policy Approaches to Incentivise Sustainable Plastic Design
  
  
  

Ronald Flipphi, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Netherlands: 

• Safe chemicals innovation agenda 
• Safe-by-design for materials and chemicals 
• Brochure on Safe by Design
  
  

Christina Raab, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute: 

• Material Health Assessment Methodology of the Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Program: The Material Assessment Methodology includes the requirements for assessment of material and chemical hazards and risks for products being assessed for the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Products Program.
  
  

Session 2.3 Best practices in setting up and maintaining an inventory of chemicals

Zhanyun Wang, ETH Zurich: 

• Toward a Global Understanding of Chemical Pollution: A First Comprehensive Analysis of National and Regional Chemical Inventories 
  
  

 2.4 Best practices in setting-up legal and institutional frameworks

Monika Gail MacDevette, UN Environment Programme (UNEP):

• UNEP Guidance on Legal and Institutional infrastructures for the sound management of chemicals and measures for Recovering costs of national Administrations 
  
  

Gunilla Ericson, Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI):

• Sustainable financing of institutional capacity for chemicals control
• UNEP Guidance - National Authority for Chemicals Control: Structure and Funding