Objective: Develop the understanding of environmental processes that drive the fate and behaviour of chemicals and the role of these processes in risk assessment.

Current activities:

• Task Force: Development of interim guidance for the inclusion of non-extractable residues (NER) in the risk assessment of chemicals
• Task Force: Understanding the relationship between extraction technique and bioavailability
• Task Force: Analysis of existing risk assessment approaches for PBT/vPvB chemicals or POPs
• Task Force: Application of critical body burden in RA of SVHC
• Task Force: ERA of ionisable compounds
• Involvement in the EU 6th Framework Programme: NORMAN Project (Advisory Committee)
• Monitoring of an LRI project: Integrated environmental fate & human food chain bioaccumulation model for polar & non-polar organic substances
• Monitoring of an LRI project: Cross taxonomic biotransformation potential (2 projects)
• Monitoring of an LRI project: Relationships of biotransformation across organisms
• Monitoring of an LRI project: Environmental relevance of laboratory bioconcentration test
• Monitoring of an LRI project: Applying and verifying PBT/POP models through comprehensive screening of chemicals
• Monitoring of an LRI project: Influence of microbial biomass and diversity on biotransformation
• Monitoring of an LRI project: Generate a validated CBB database and validate a CBB chronic toxicity range for narcotics
• Monitoring of an LRI project: Rapid estimation of TMF using laboratory, field and computer modelling methods in aquatic organisms

Recent publications and completed activities:

• Workshop Report 17: Significance of bound residues in environmental risk assessment (2010)
• Technical Report 108: Collation of existing marine biodegradation data and its use in environmental risk assessment (2009)
• Workshop Report 10: Workshop on biodegradation and persistence (2007)
• Technical Report 98: Risk assessment of PBT chemicals (2005)
• Workshop Report 02: Workshop on EQS and WFD versus PNEC and REACH - Are they doing the job? (2004)
• Technical Report 92: Soil and sediment risk assessment (2004)Technical Report No. 82: Risk assessment in marine environments (2001)