Chemical Assessment and Testing
Institute for Health and Consumer Protection
Action: 15014
Acronym: Chemical Assessment and Testing
Summary:
The Action is based around the competences:
Pollutant Sources, Chemistry and Modelling Competence Centre:
concerned with improving the understanding of the sources of airborne volatile, semi-volatile and particulate organic pollutants in the indoor environment. Activities include studies of the physical and chemical processes that govern indoor air pollutant concentrations and exposures as well as exposure related to physical phenomena such as noise. The motivation is to contribute to the reduction of potential human health effects and to provide support to relevant Commission's policies (E&H Strategy and Action Plan, Public Health Program). Work includes design and testing of innovative measurement methods; laboratory studies under conditions simulating typical indoor environments; and detailed field investigations. The competence centre also participates in several multidisciplinary research projects conducted by other groups within the frame of integrated projects and networks of excellence in the Commission's Environment and Health Action Plan, the Public Health Programme and the Consumer Strategy Policy, in which it conducts research into anticipating, measuring, and monitoring exposure of humans to harmful agents.
Chemical Testing and Method Validation Competence Centre: evaluates and validates methods and instrumentation for measuring the migration and release of chemicals from consumer products as well as providing data input for human exposure models. The competence centre plans and conducts research and development to advance state-of-the-art sampling technologies, analytical methodologies and analytical instrumentation, particularly in support to the harmonised enforcement of food-related legislation with focus on migration of chemicals from materials in contact with food and the release of chemicals from textiles.
The competence centre houses the Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) for Food Contact Materials and addresses the needs of Member State Laboratories by providing the means to enforce compliance measures, such as methods, reference substances, exchange of information, and capacity building.
In addition the competence centre has established the "textiles laboratory", the objectives of which are to carry out research in support of policies on textile labelling and human exposure to chemicals released from textiles.
Risk Analysis Competence Centre: incorporates two groups. The first concerns the Institute's biocides activity which works closely with Member State risk competent authorities on behalf of DG ENV to reach consensus on the risk assessment dossiers of biocides. As such the activities feed directly into the IHCP's Health and Environment Action. The other group is concerned with the assessment of toxicity from individual chemicals and mixtures of chemicals, health risk assessment for susceptible population groups and definition of the uncertainty bounds and sensitivity analyses of the risk estimates.