Prevention rather than cure: A toolbox for safe chemicals

DDT in agriculture, asbestos in construction, CFCs in the atmosphere, PFAS in water: These are just a few examples of substances that were once widely used, only to be later identified as harmful to both humans and the environment, and were thus subsequently banned. What these "problem substances" also have in common is that measures were only taken long after the problems became known.

In order to better avoid such serious mistakes in future, the EU has launched the large-scale PARC project (see box). It connects authorities and research institutions from 29 countries, including Switzerland, and aims to enable a better risk assessment of chemicals. This is a herculean task: Around 350,000 different chemicals are manufactured and used worldwide, and new ones are constantly being added.

One of PARC's goals is to develop a toolbox of methods and models that can be used to identify and prevent risks at an earlier stage. Empa is participating in the sub-task Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD). "We want to develop tools that can be used to identify the potential dangers of chemicals to humans and the environment right at the start of the development process," says Empa researcher Bernd Nowack from the Technology and Society department, co-leader of the SSbD sub-task.

Understanding the risks

PARC is now about halfway through its seven-year term. Researchers have already developed initial versions of an SSbD toolbox and tested them on well-known chemicals. "In collaboration with other institutions, we applied the tools to bisphenol A (BPA)," explains Nowack. "A great deal is already known about the risks and effects of this chemical. This allowed us to test how well our models work."

In practice, the SSbD approach is not quite as simple as it sounds. "We can assess and quantify the risks," explains Nowack. The difficulty lies in interpreting these figures. This is because there is hardly any data available for a brand-new chemical. Nowack's team of researchers specializes in working with estimates, models and probabilities. The researcher is convinced that in future, specially trained experts - known as SSbD practitioners - will be needed for this, both in industry and in the public sector.

Working on a research project of this size presents certain challenges. "Our part of PARC is as big as an entire "standard" EU research project," says Nowack. The work covers numerous areas and sub-tasks, so that by the end of the project, many different advances and improvements should be on the table.

Learning from pharmacy

The researchers are now continuing to develop their toolbox. Next, they want to take a closer look at the development processes used in pharmacy and agrochemistry. "SSbD - at least the 'safe by design' part - is already standard practice in the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries," explains Nowack. "If a drug is not safe for humans, it is not developed any further." They are now investigating how the methods used for this can also be applied in other sectors of industry.

They also want to collaborate more closely with industry in the future, because SSbD is not limited to research and regulatory authorities, according to Nowack. "SSbD must be taken into account as early as possible in the development process of a chemical - and these development processes mainly take place in industry," explains the researcher.

For Nowack and his colleagues, PARC is an opportunity to further deepen their expertise in the field of SSbD. In addition to the chemicals that are the main focus of PARC, they also want to add methods for materials to the toolbox. An initial case study with the new wonder material graphene has shown that a complete SSbD assessment is also possible for a novel material.

To the press release

PARC

The European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) aims to further develop risk assessment for chemicals and thus better protect human health and the environment. To this end, authorities and research institutions are collaborating on nine different topics. More than 200 partners from 29 countries are involved. In Switzerland, this major project is coordinated at national level by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). Eight research institutions and three federal offices are involved: Agroscope, Eawag, Empa, ETH Zurich, Swiss Toxicology Center (SCAHT), Unisanté, Università Svizzera italiana (USI) and the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) (see p. XX). Agroscope, Eawag, Empa, ETH Zurich, Swiss Ecotoxicology Center (SCAHT), Unisanté, Università Svizzera italiana (USI), as well as the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). PARC was launched in 2022 and will run until 2029.

https://www.eu-parc.eu

Empa at Scientifica 2026

At Scientifica 2026, Empa will present exciting insights into its research on innovative materials and sustainable technologies. The focus will be on solutions to PFAS, on Empa's Mining the Atmosphere initiative to combat climate change, as well as on insights into drone and space research and innovative concepts for a circular economy. Through vivid demonstrations and direct interactions, Empa brings research to life - and shows how it is actively shaping our future. The event will take place on August 22 at the Dübendorf Innovation Park. Additional Scientifica activities will take place from August 23-30 at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. Information:

Empa at Scientifica | Scientifica

Further information

Prof. Dr. Bernd Nowack
Empa, Technology and Society
Phone +41 58 765 76 92
[email protected]