Latest Environmental Modelling News From Our Ecotoxicology and Efate Teams

Modelling Success: Alice and Charles’ Research Makes Waves in Environmental Science & Technology

The continued efforts of our ecological modellers Alice Tagliati and Charles Hazlerigg have been rewarded with their successful publication on the use of models to Assess the Population Relevance of Endocrine-Sensitive Apical Endpoints in Fish Chronic Studies in Environmental Science & Technology just last week. This paper explores how to perform population level assessments for endocrine disruptors using fish models, with one notable inclusion the attempt to establish a molecule-agnostic approach that could be used to assess any chemical under EU regulations!

Modelling Minds Meet in Palermo: Collaboration and Innovation Take Centre Stage

Wendy van Beinum and Charles Hazlerigg were invited to participate in the EU Modelling Workshop in Palermo last week.  The event brought together scientists from academia, industry, consultancies, and regulatory bodies to exchange ideas on pesticide fate, exposure, and effects modelling. Wendy and Charles were both present at the last Workshop in 2023, and after the success of merging fate modellers with effects modellers the same format has been retained this year, encouraging closer collaboration between the two disciplines. Building on that success, this year’s workshop introduced a new format: each topic was jointly presented by efate and ecotox experts, followed by open discussions. Topics included model parameterisation, validation, version control, and complexity, exploring differences, common challenges, and opportunities for cross-disciplinary learning.

Efate models, though well-established and trusted in regulations, face challenges such as regular need for updates, reliance on individual developers, questions around code ownership and limited funding for maintenance. Ecotox models, on the other hand, are often open source, promoting innovation and collaboration, but have their own challenges, such the availability of many similar models, and version control issues that complicate regulatory acceptance.

A central theme throughout the workshop was the integration of exposure and effects modelling at higher tiers. Discussions focused on aligning spatial and temporal resolution, developing relevant scenarios, and taking into account environmental factors that affect both efate and ecotox differently, such as temperature. The need for harmonised scenarios and procedures to improve environmental risk assessments emerged as a key takeaway, and the workshop concluded with actionable resolutions.

This workshop always delivers interesting discussions attempting to address the challenges around modelling in regulatory chemical assessment, with the resulting resolutions of the workshop often leading to future efforts that result in real change, and this year was no exception. Overall, the event successfully strengthened mutual understanding and opportunities for collaboration between the efate and ecotox communities, paving the way for more integrated and robust modelling approaches in the years ahead.

Next Stop: Japan! Charles Heads East for the Ecological Modelling Global Conference

Heading further afield than usual, Charles is heading to Japan to attend the Ecological Modelling Global Conference. There are so many great uses of ecological models from efforts to inform conservation or land management to the effects of climate change on species diversity and range; that this is an opportunity to see how other sectors are using modelling and what we could learn and share across sectors to enhance our approaches in chemical risk assessment. Charles is excited to explore what potential there is… whilst also experiencing the unique Japanese culture for the very first time!