In focus – Meet EDC-MixRisk scientists
The work performed in EDC-MixRisk is vital to expand our knowledge on mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Here you will meet the scientist behind the research and hear their story on what they are doing and why it is important.
First in line was Christina Rudén, Professor at Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University in Sweden.
Hi Christina – what are you doing in EDC-MixRisk?
One aim of EDC-MixRisk is to contribute to improving risk assessment procedures of EDCs and mixtures of EDCs. We will coordinate that part of the project. In practice we will compile data in a structured way and – in collaboration with all partners in EDC-MixRisk – empirically test two novel approaches to risk assessment.
What is SciRap?
SciRAP is a framework that contains tools for evaluating the relevance and reliability of toxicological and eco toxicological studies. It also offers a color-coding tool that helps summarize the reliability of such studies, and a reporting checklist of items that is needed for a comprehensive reporting of research studies in toxicology and eco toxicological. All of this is publically available free of charge at www.scirap.org .
Why is it important?
Regulatory risk assessment often focuses on standard testing and studies performed by independent scientists are often dismissed. The aims of SciRAP are to make evaluation of all types of data more systematic and transparent and to apply the same reliability and relevance criteria to both standard and non-standard studies.
How can SciRap make it easier to use research results in risk assessment?
The reporting checklist will help researchers to report their studies in a way that fulfills the regulatory reporting requirements, and thus help risk assessors in their evaluation of the studies. Empirical investigations show clearly that the scientific standards of reporting are not always sufficient for regulatory needs. If the SciRAP checklist is used, the reporting will be (at least) as good as the reporting requirements in standard test protocols and thus fulfill the regulatory needs.