SETAC is coming!
In May, our ecotoxicologist Dr Alice Tagliati will be attending SETAC Europe 33rd Annual Meeting in Dublin. SETAC Europe 2023 is an international four-day conference featuring a variety of learning, networking and training opportunities in environmental toxicology and chemistry.
The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) is a not-for profit, global professional society that provides a forum for individuals and institutions engaged in education, research and development, ecological risk assessment and life-cycle assessment, chemical manufacture and distribution, management and regulation of natural resources and the study, analysis and solution of environmental problems. The overarching theme of this year is “Data-driven environmental decision-making” for the protection and restoration of the environment.
Alice will be presenting the talk “Population Models in a Hazard Assessment: Population Relevance of the Effects of Endocrine Active Substances” on Wednesday, 3 May. She will present results from three fish population models: zebrafish, stickleback and brown trout, to demonstrate how population modelling can be used to extrapolate the relevance of ED-mediated adverse effects on individuals to whole populations.
All agrochemicals authorised for use in the EU need to be assessed against the criteria for being identified as an endocrine disruptor. For non-target organisms, the final protection goal is at the population level (e.g., population abundance), however the endpoints reported in recommended studies on endocrine active chemicals are commonly at the individual level (e.g., significant effects on fecundity in fish). The aim of Alice’s presentation is to show how to better link the assessment endpoint (adverse effect on population abundance or biomass) with the protection goal (population) of an ED assessment under EC 1107/2009 and Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/605.
Alice will also present a poster on Thursday, 4 May, as part of the session “Mechanistic Effect Modelling for Regulatory Environmental Risk Assessment: From Molecules to Landscapes”. The poster “Endocrine Disruption: How To Perform a Hazard Assessment With Population Models?” will illustrate the use of population models consistent with both a hazard- and risk-based approach. In the first one, exposure is not considered at all, while in the second, exposure is taken into account using regulatory fate models to predict concentrations in the environment following the proposed use of a product.
Meet Alice in person on 3 and 4 May 2023 in Dublin, Ireland. Keep an eye on our LinkedIn page for updates on the exact time and location of the presentations, and please contact alice.tagliati@enviresearch.com to book a meeting during the conference.