EFA participated in the 3rd Stakeholder Forum meeting of the Partnership for the Assessment of Risk from Chemicals (PARC), the EU-funded project advancing the development of the next-generation chemical risk assessment to protect human health and the environment. EFA is the only organisation involved in PARC representing patients, where we emphasise the need to focus on real-life exposure to multiple chemicals, especially in the workplace.
EFA has been committed to ensuring that the health impacts of chemicals, particularly those affecting respiratory and atopic eczema patients, are addressed at the EU level.
At the recent PARC Stakeholder Forum, EFA joined experts in Austria to push for safer chemical risk assessments in Europe.
The PARC Stakeholder Forum (SF) was set up in 2023 as one of the project’s advising bodies, where stakeholders collaborate to improve chemical risk assessment in Europe and explore ways to create synergies at the EU and international levels. The PARC SF meeting took place in Tyrol (Austria) on 14-15 May and gathered chemical experts including EFA, who was represented by Artur Badyda from our Polish member organisation, Polska Federacja Stowarzyszeń Chorych na Astmę i Choroby Alergiczne i Przewlekłe Obturacyjne Choroby Płuc.
Towards the Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA)
During the meeting, participants discussed PARC science-policy activities, focusing on the Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA).
NGRA is a novel approach aiming to upgrade the chemicals risk are assessed in Europe. It proposes 10 guiding principles, including high-level protection for human health and the environment; timely and efficient chemicals assessment; state-of-the-art methods for modelling, testing and assessment; assessment of real-life exposure levels and durations; and the study of chemicals mixtures across all relevant routes of exposure. The two latter principles are particularly relevant for respiratory patients, who are often exposed in real life not only to a single but a combination of harmful chemicals.
EFA expressed support for NGRA guiding principles but noted that the effects of many substances are only known after years of exposure, highlighting the need for a specific focus to address this challenge.
PARC coordinators aim to establish the NGRA framework as a key component of all EU chemicals legislation related to human health and environmental risk assessment.
PARC’s focus on exposure to chemicals at the workplace
Another significant topic at the meeting was occupational exposure to chemicals. This is a critical area for EFA, as exposure to chemicals at work is linked to the onset and exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases, allergy, atopic eczema and other skin conditions.
Currently, there is a significant lack of data on hazard types and toxic properties of chemical mixtures in the area of occupational exposure. To address this, PARC started collecting data from the Human Biomonitoring project (HBM4EU) and national human biomonitoring studies. PARC occupational biomonitoring studies aim to provide policy-relevant data for the protection of workers and focus on the waste management and healthcare sectors, prioritising substances like Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), metals and pesticides.
In the second half of the partnership, the plan is to define new occupational projects, based on other occupational settings. PARC coordinators also expressed interest in doing human biomonitoring also among patients regarding some specific occupational exposure.
Making chemicals risk information accessible
In a largely scientific domain such as chemicals risk assessment, it is key to ensure that public information regarding health impact of chemicals is easily understandable and accessible for all. Currently, this information is spread across various databases and projects and is not always easy to understand.
This issue is particularly relevant for respiratory irritants or skin sensitisers, which are important for the EFA Community of patients, as EFA noted in plenary.
PARCopedia is an online knowledge management and community platform created under PARC. It brings together up-to-date and easy-to-read webpages on all the aspects of chemical risk assessment in and outside of the EU. However, since it is primarily designed for professionals, patients may not find it as useful. To address this, PARC is working on a tool to translate PARCopedia data for non-specialists. Additionally, in June, PARC coordinators offered training for stakeholders on how to use the data collected within the PARC project.
Looking ahead: PARC’s future activities
PARC remains open to suggestions for studying chemicals that are currently not in focus and welcomes new project ideas. PARC’s list of potential chemicals for future study includes bisphenols (BPA), linked to skin symptoms and allergies, and phthalates, which are found in everyday items like toys, cosmetics, and food packaging and are associated with skin allergies and a potentially increased risk of asthma in pregnant women.
The PARC coordinators also shared a proposal to address indoor air exposure under PARC and expressed willingness to consider a study targeted at patients or specific occupational exposures, provided there are research groups and appropriate resources available.
The Stakeholder Forum meeting took place alongside the PARC Consortium meeting, one of the main management bodies of the project, in which the SF members could also participate.
EFA remains committed to ensuring that the health impacts of chemicals, particularly those affecting respiratory and atopic eczema patients, are fully addressed on the European level.