The total number of industrial chemicals in commerce globally is estimated to be between 40,000 and 60,000. More than 60 percent of the volume of chemicals in the EU is classified as hazardous to health, while around 35 percent is harmful to the environment.

More knowledge is needed about exposure and health effects of chemicals. In addition, the methods for obtaining data and data storage are poorly harmonized, complicating the exchange of data. PARC is an EU-wide research and innovation platform aimed at supporting chemical risk assessment in the EU and member states with new data, knowledge, methods, expertise, and networks. The project will also facilitate the transition to the development and use of “next-generation risk assessment” to better protect workers’ health. Projects will also contribute to the EU’s strategy for chemical sustainability.

The project officially started on May 1, 2022.

Around 200 European stakeholders are involved, including national and European health and safety agencies and research organizations.

Main Goals

The main goals of the project are to:

  • Provide new data, methods, and innovative tools to those responsible for assessing and managing the risk of chemical exposure.
  • Strengthen networks that bring together stakeholders specialized in the various scientific fields contributing to risk assessment.

“There is a significant gap between the number of chemicals in circulation and the knowledge of how they affect our health. We need more knowledge on risk assessment and regulation of exposure, and new methods and approaches are required to handle this. For STAMI, it will be especially important to ensure that occupational health has a clear role in the project,” says project leader and researcher Steen Mollerup.

Interdisciplinary Project

The project is organized into nine work packages, and STAMI participates in six of these. STAMI’s main contribution is in work package 6, which involves developing regulatory toxicology through the development of new methods and more efficient risk assessments with a view to improving workplace environments and health. STAMI will also contribute to work packages 4 and 5, where the goal is to fill knowledge gaps in exposure characterization and biomonitoring, as well as identify hazards from chemical substances. In work packages 2, 3, and 9, STAMI will contribute to network building, stakeholder engagement, international cooperation, platform development for effective communication of results, as well as competence building, courses, and training.

“Various units at STAMI will contribute to the interdisciplinary work with PARC, including groups for occupational toxicology, occupational chemistry, occupational medicine, and epidemiology, as well as communication and training,” says Mollerup.

In addition to STAMI’s employees, several PARC-funded postdoctoral researchers will be associated with the project.

Project group

Steen Mollerup (project leader), Pål Graff, Anne Straumfors, Merete Drevvatne Bugge, Shan Narui, Johanna Samulin-Erdem, Helge Johnsen, Aurora Moen, Rita Bæra, Mayes Alswady-Hoff, Nils Petter Skaugset, Karl-Christian Nordby, Jose Hernan Alfonso, Lina Wik, Elke Eriksen, Erika Zardin, Graciela Lopez Soop