CUSP workshops on human health risk assessment frameworks for MNPs

The workshop CUSP workshops on human health risk assessment frameworks for MNPs takes place on March 14, 2023, 12:30 – 17:00 CET. Organised by CUSP in collaboration with the POLYRISK project, the workshop will enable you to hear from experts, and engage in breakout discussions on how to establish frameworks for assessing human health risks of MNPs.

This is a challenging area as MNPs are complex with different geometries, shapes and sizes, comprising different polymer types, additives and contaminants. The opening session of the workshop will therefore provide an overview on existing approaches and frameworks for polymers and nanomaterials which might be relevant for MNPs. The second session will host discussions on how  existing approaches and frameworks can be adapted for MNPs. Some of the questions to be tackled include: ‘How useful are the existing frameworks for MNPs?’ and ‘Where should we set priorities for research in the next few years?’

Registration

This event is free of charge and open to all interested stakeholders including researchers, those involved in policy-making, or interested in the risk assessment of MNPs.

A Zoom meeting link will be sent to you automatically upon registration.

You’ll then receive background materials approximately one week ahead of the workshop, and proceedings will be shared afterwards.

The agenda for the workshop is available for download.

Agenda
The agenda for the workshop is available for download.

– The third workshop, organized by WG5 Risk Assessment and PlasticsFatE, will take place on April 21st and will focus on data and information gaps.
Registration details and the agenda will be issued soon.

About CUSP

There is widespread scientific evidence on the ubiquity of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in our environment. The tiny particles which result from the degradation of larger plastics or which are manufactured and added to products for different purposes find their way into the human body through the food we eat, the water we drink or the very air we breathe. Yet, so far, we know little about the risks they pose to human health.

FFor this reason, the European Commission has decided to fund five research projects – AURORA, ImpTox, PLASTICHEAL, PlasticsFatE and POLYRISK – that together form the European Research Cluster to Understand the Health Impacts of Micro- and NanoPlastics: CUSP. They will collaborate in gathering policy-relevant scientific data to improve the risk assessment of MNPs on human health.