Tune into Helsinki Chemicals Forum in June

Helsinki will be buzzing in June as the tenth Helsinki Chemicals Forum will hit the town. The registration is now open so make sure you will be in Finland and at Messukeskus from 14 to 15 June!

The two-day forum’s themes delve into the highly topical issues of the risks posed by industrial chemicals and in particular microplastics, endocrine disruptors and nanomaterials to human health and the environment.

We have included four expert panels. This year, two will be hosted by the UN Environment Programme and the OECD. The panel hosted by the UNEP will discuss the promotion of chemical safety in developing countries. We welcome panellists from Argentina, Sweden, China and UNEP to join the discussion, as well as from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EBRD.

At the panel hosted by the OECD, the focus is on the prioritisation of chemicals for risk management. Each regulatory authority wants to identify and reduce the risks from the most harmful chemicals but can the leading countries cooperate and learn more from each other? The panellists arrive from the US, Brazil, Sweden and the ECHA.

Endocrine disruptors have been discussed in the public sphere for some two decades. Large amounts of research have been spent on this category of harmful substances, and legislation has advanced taking advantage of scientific results. The Helsinki Chemicals Forum has assembled an exciting lineup of policymakers and influencers from the European Commission and Parliament, media, NGOs as well as industry representatives and researchers.

Microplastics are more and more topical as evidence is building up that they pollute rivers and oceans around the world. Our panel members from Europe, the US and Australia provide an extensive global snapshot of the problem, and of regulation requirements and models.

The final section of our forum is a debate on nanomaterials. A representative of an international NGO from Europe and a representative of the industry from the US – two experts in this field – will debate the issue. The debate will be moderated by an Australian expert with experience of both industry and research in the field.

As always, we will be compiling all the insights of each presentation after the event into complete conference report to assist decision-makers. The conference report will be available for download a few weeks after the event. In the meanwhile, more information about the event agenda and speakers can be found at http://www.helsinkicf.eu

If you are the regulatory expert in your company, working for a regulatory authority or expert on chemicals in a non-governmental organisation, the Helsinki Chemical Forum is the place where you can take part in the debate on topics of high interest and network with your peers.

And why not join the discussion about these themes already beforehand online in Twitter using #ChemicalsForum.

Copyright European Chemicals Agency

Geert Dancet, Secretary General