Supporting the Cefic Long-range Research Initiative

The Cefic Long-range Research Initiative is a strategic research programme to identify and fill gaps in our understanding of the hazards posed by chemicals and to improve the methods available for assessing the associated risks. Since the establishment of the programme in 1998, ECETOC has been a partner organisation. Within the LRI, ECETOC has the responsibility of maintaining three “core teams' consisting of industry scientists, who manage the scientific evaluation of applications for funding, recommend the best research proposals and monitor of the progress of selected LRI projects.

Human Exposure and Tiered Risk Assessment (HETRA)

In November 2009, the HETRA team assisted by external experts evaluated new proposals for research on “Indoor environments & risk assessments', and 'Realistic estimation of exposure to substances from multiple sources'. The requests for proposal (RfPs) had resulted from a workshop on consumer exposure. In all, four projects were selected and these were recommended to Cefic-LRI for funding.

Health Effects Monitoring Team (HEMT)

In the last quarter of 2009, the Health Effects Team ran selection committees for the following new projects:

• A toxicogenomic approach to enhance the specificity and predictive value of the murine local lymph node assay
• Towards standardised testing guidelines (reproductive toxicity) relevant to nano materials
• Assessment of risk factors influencing trends in incidence of female breast carcinoma

Environment Monitoring Team (EMT)

In the last quarter of 2009, the Environment Team evaluated the following new proposals for research:

• Rapid estimation of Tiered Methods for Fish (TMF) using laboratory, field and computer modelling methods in aquatic organisms
• Generate a validated Critical Body Burden (CBB) database and validate a CBB chronic toxicity range for narcotics