On May 2025, I went to the annual conference from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) to give an oral presentation, to participate at a round table and present few posters.
Oral Presentation: 6.04.T-02 Toward a better integration of Risk Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment for Safer and more Sustainable Chemicals.
Key takeaways from he présentation: Don’t use a harmer to drive a screw! When it comes to the SSBD framework, two principles reign supreme: 1) Use the right tool and 2) Rely on consistent chemical property data.
From hazard classification to risk and sustainability assessment, each domain has fine-tuned its sophisticated tools, each designed to tackle highly specific challenges. Attempting to force a one-size-fits-all approach? That’s a recipe for failure. If we truly want to drive safer and more sustainable chemical alternatives, we need precision, not compromise.
Round table: Invited speaker special session: 8.06 - The Planetary Boundaries for Biodiversity in the Context of Safe and Sustainable by Design
This was my talk: Today, we face an unprecedented challenge in the field of chemical substances. The number of synthesized chemicals and those released into the market continues to increase, and this trend will accelerate in the coming decades. According to available research, the production of chemical substances has increased 50-fold since 1950 and is expected to triple again by 2050. Currently, there are more than 350,000 types of manufactured chemicals in the world.
This exponential growth exceeds the "planetary boundary", meaning that humanity is introducing quantities of chemicals into the biosphere at a rate that could compromise the sustainability of ecosystems
However, for most of these substances, we have insufficient or even absent data to assess their impact on human health and the environment. This situation creates a zone of uncertainty that prevents us from making informed and responsible decisions.
We also know that all substances released into the market eventually end up in the air we breathe, the soils that nourish our crops, and the waters that irrigate our ecosystems.
These substances do not respect borders, and their global dispersion represents an invisible but real threat.
Heavy metals, Pesticides, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), Dioxins and furans, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), Plastics and microplastics, all are chemicals of very high concerns for human health and ecosystems
Faced with this issue, we urgently need two fundamental tools.
•Firstly, robust predictive models that can estimate the potential impacts of chemical substances on health and the environment. It is unrealistic and impossible to generate this data solely through experimental means, given the considerable volume of existing substances. We need the generalisation of NAM to conduct Risk Assessment, LCA and SSbD. We also need to develop predictive toxicity using artificial intelligence.•Secondly, we need a global model capable ofconsideringall uses and releases of these substances on a worldwide scale. This model should include historical data since the 1950s, as well as projections up to 2050, to accurately assess exposure levels in our ecosystems and their consequences.
Our mission as scientists is clear: it is our responsibility to develop these tools, refine them, and make them accessible to protect our planet and its inhabitants. Together, we can transform these challenges into opportunities for progress.
Posters:8.07.P-Th479 Advancing Sustainable Water Management: Automated PNEC Value Derivation for Potential Water Hazardous Substances at MerckLidia Ceriani1, Isabell Haym2, Christoph Wiesian2, Erwan Saouter3, Jannik Schmitt2, Yilin Zhai4, Yongzheng Ji4, Jan-Hinrich Rabe2, Konstantin Lehmann2, Florian Gruener2, Ric Longo5, Ross Daly6, Sarah Mullen-Hinkle5 and Cheryl McClellan5, (1)Merck KGaA, Italy, (2)Merck Life Science KGaA, Germany, (3)Net-Zero Impact (SAS), France, (4)Merck Pte. Ltd., Singapore, (5)EMD Millipore Corporation, United States, (6)Merck Millipore Ltd., Ireland6.05.
Poster-Tu452 Unlocking the Future: SSbD as the Sustainable Solution for the Life Science IndustryAthanasios Gkrillas1, Karoline Wowra2, Winfried Bulach2, Alexandra Gastens2, Lidia Ceriani3, Erwan Saouter4 and Florian Gruener2, (1)Merck Life Science BV, Belgium, (2)Merck Life Science KGaA, Germany, (3)Merck Life Science Srl, Italy, (4)Net-Zero Impact (SAS), France6.04.
Poster-We483 Towards a Flexible, Solution-Oriented SSbD Framework in Industry: A Practical Case StudyKaroline Wowra1, Athanasios Gkrillas2, Winfried Bulach1, Alexandra Gastens1, Lidia Ceriani3, Erwan Saouter4 and Florian Gruener1, (1)Merck Life Science KGaA, Germany, (2)Merck Life Science BV, Belgium, (3)Merck Life Science Srl, Italy, (4)Net-Zero Impact (SAS), France