NEWS

09.04.08
Metals associations announce support for SETAC World Congress 2008

ICMM and a number of partner associations, under the collective ‘Metals Environmental Research Associations (MERA)’ are principal sponsors of the SETAC (Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) 2008 World Congress (http://www.setac2008.com/sponex.asp) to be held on 3-7 August 2008.

MERA logo

The event, which takes place every four years is the leading forum for professionals involved in risk assessment, environmental and health sciences, and socio-economics, including toxicologists, chemists, risk assessors, economists, sociologists and managers as well as regulators and policy makers.

In addition to providing financial support for the World Congress, MERA will run a session at the event focussing on significant advances in environmental risk assessment for metals.

This underlines the industry’s commitment to developing robust scientific methods and will be an important opportunity to showcase concepts developed though projects such as Metals Environmental Risk Assessment Guidance (MERAG).

ICMM will also sponsor a related workshop which will explore the scientific challenges linked to the setting and implementing of terrestrial quality standards for trace elements.

The workshop, will take place in Sydney on 29-31 July in conjunction with the SETAC World Congress. Building on the outputs of previous SETAC meetings, it will bring together scientists and professionals from diverse fields and will provide recommendations for harmonizing the scientific basis of terrestrial quality standards.

Quality standards are widely used to protect the environment and human health from chemicals released by human activity. Generally, these standards relate to doses or concentrations in the environment for specific chemicals, below which unacceptable effects are not expected to occur.

In some jurisdictions there are more than 30 years of experience in the setting and use of quality standards for the aquatic environment, yet the development of standards for chemicals in the terrestrial compartment is a relatively new regulatory activity applied only in a limited number of countries.

For further information on ICMM’s activities in the field of environmental risk assessment please contact benjamin.davies@icmm.com.

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