Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, Director, Environment Directorate, OECD (TBC).

Why are we here

• Speakers: Patience Browne, Principal Administrator Hazard Assessment Programme and Eeva Leinala, Principal Administrator, Risk Management Programme, OECD

Science for decision-making

• Speaker: Kevin Elliott (Michigan State University)

 2 additional panelists (TBC) - panel discussion and exchange with all participants on what are the drivers for evolution of chemicals management frameworks, how is the landscape changing?  

This session will discuss the topic of balancing the value of generating additional information and reducing scientific uncertainty with the need for timely and effective regulatory decisions. Discussions will explore examples where further data collection influences decision outcomes and when existing information may be sufficient to support protective,  and transparent decisions.

• Speakers: Greg Paoli, Risk Sciences International; TBC, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment

Exchange with all participants.

This session will explore how chemical assessments inform regulatory risk management decisions within chemical management frameworks. It will highlight the interface between hazard and exposure assessment and the subsequent options for risk management.

Discussions will focus on the type, scope, and level of information needed to support decision-making, including the role of [cost and benefit considerations in evaluating and selecting risk management options. The session will also examine how uncertainty identified during the assessment phase is carried forward, characterised, and addressed in risk management decisions.

To support discussion, the session will outline typical risk management options used in chemical management frameworks

• Speakers:  TBC European Chemicals Agency/European Commission;  Health Canada (Speaker TBC)

Discussion and exchange will all participants.

This session examines the foundations of current toxicity testing and assessment practices, explores emerging approaches that challenge established paradigms, and considers future directions for chemical safety assessment.

The Comfort Zone — Traditional Toxicity Testing

The session will review traditional toxicity testing approaches and why animal models remain central to regulatory chemical assessment. It will highlight how guideline tests support human health and environmental protection, and how uncertainty and acceptable levels of precision are addressed in chemical safety decisions.

Discussion will consider the extent to which traditional approaches are:

- Predictive of specific types of toxic effects; and

- Protective of adverse effects relevant for human health and the environment.

• Speaker: Patience Browne, OECD

Case Study Discussion (TBC)

New Horizons and New Efficiencies

The session will explore innovative approaches to toxicity testing and assessment, including how new methods are benchmarked, reviewed, and considered for regulatory use. It will highlight drivers beyond the reduction of animal testing and examine similarities and differences in the nature and management of uncertainty compared with traditional approaches.

• Speakers:  Health Canada (Speaker TBC); Ayako Fujiwara, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan; Yuki Sakuratani National Institute of Technology and Evaluation, Japan

Foresight — Future Directions

The session will conclude with a forward‑looking discussion on the future of toxicity testing and assessment, including how approaches can be both protective and predictive, and the role of Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATAs) in supporting regulatory decision‑making.

• Speaker: Anna Lowit, US Environmental Protection Agency

Discussion with all participants.

This session will examine the extent to which emerging and innovative methods can support established regulatory risk management decisions within existing chemical management frameworks.

The session will revisit key regulatory decision contexts, including:

·       Bans;

·       Restrictions, including the setting of limit values or thresholds; and

·       Triggers for generic risk management actions, such as prohibitions on certain uses, hazard‑based labelling, or information and communication requirements based on classification outcomes.

Discussions will focus on:

·       What level and type of information from new methods are acceptable and sufficient to support these decision contexts;

·       Where gaps remain between outputs from inew approach methods and information needed to inform regulatory decisions and

·       Where risk management approaches themselves may need to evolve to better reflect the capabilities and limitations of new methods, including for socioeconomic benefits assessment

• Speaker:  Speaker TBC European Chemicals Agency/European Commission; Violain Verougstraete. European Metals; Gavin Maxwell, Unilever.

Discussion with all participants.

This session will ask participants to reflect on key messages from the workshop and consider implications for chemical management frameworks across countries.

An overview presentation will highlight the themes of what has been discussed throughout the workshop, setting the stage for a discussion of key aspects for modern chemical management frameworks based, considering lessons learned and the current direction of regulatory science.

 Moderator: Camilla Alexander-White, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK

Exchange and debate with participants will explore:

1. How chemical management frameworks can generate chemical safety information more quickly and efficiently, while maintaining protection of human health and the environment;
2. How existing frameworks may enable or hinder the uptake of innovative science and new methods;
3. How frameworks can remain predictable and transparent, while also being adaptive and “evergreen” in the face of evolving science and policy needs;
4. Implications for data requirements, including flexibility, proportionality, and fitness‑for‑purpose.

The session will conclude with a discussion on the role of the OECD in supporting countries, including opportunities to promote coherence, share experience, develop guidance, and facilitate the integration of innovative science into modernised chemical management frameworks.

• Speaker: Eeva Leinala, OECD