Current approaches to neurotoxicity testing rely heavily on animal studies, which are often costly and time-consuming. This limits the ability to assess the growing number of chemicals that may affect the human nervous system. A recent study presents advanced human-derived 3D BrainSphere models, combining neurons and supporting cells, to better...

Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) are central to next-generation chemical hazard assessment. They map how a molecular interaction triggered by a chemical can lead, step by step, to an adverse outcome in a cascading manner. AOPs provide a shared framework through which scientists and regulators identify key biological events, clarify evidence...

Understanding how environmental exposures affect human health increasingly depends on large and complex datasets. However, fragmented data and inconsistent practices often limit their effective use. A recent study proposes the FAIR Environment and Health Registry (FAIREHR), a global platform designed to make research data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. The...

PARC has submitted its phasing-out strategy to the European Commission on 20 March 2026, marking an important milestone in ensuring the long-term sustainability of its activities and impact. The European Commission has reviewed the strategy and confirmed that it is in alignment with the provided guidelines and Horizon Europe legal...

Harmful algal blooms are becoming more frequent worldwide, driven by climate change and pollution. These events release potent toxins into water systems, raising concerns for both human and environmental health. A new review suggests that current research may be overlooking a critical part of the problem. While most studies focus...

The Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) has updated its Work Package 5 (hazard assessment) portfolio following a second prioritisation round, ensuring closer alignment with evolving regulatory needs across the European Union. Four new projects have been launched focusing on developmental and reproductive toxicity, developmental immunotoxicity, sexual...

PARC is launching a new webinar series on Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) in chemical analysis and in vitro toxicity testing, aiming to strengthen the quality, consistency, and regulatory usability of monitoring data generated across environmental, food, and human health domains, and toxicity data generated through laboratory tests...

A recently published study highlights how innovative classroom strategies can transform the way students perceive science, showing that curiosity, emotion, and hands-on experimentation may be as important as textbooks in building scientific understanding. Developed by researchers from Inserm and the University of Bordeaux, the research presents an educational model that...

A new study, led by researchers from University College Dublin (study outputs available here), proposed an adaptable framework of practical steps for implementing sustainable national Human Biomonitoring (HBM) programmes. The study, global in scope and first of its kind, reviewed existing well-established national HBM programmes in 14 countries to identify...

Researchers and project leaders from across the PARC partnership met in Paris to review major progress in human biomonitoring, environmental monitoring and exposure assessment studies, while defining priorities for the next phase of work within Work Package 4 (WP4). The annual WP4 meeting took place from January 20–21 at the...

In the context of preparing its roadmap to phase out animal testing for chemical safety assessment - a key priority for both ethical science and modern regulatory policy - the European Commission organised a series of three workshops to gain input from stakeholders. The second workshop, held in Brussels on...

Understanding how chemicals may affect brain development or brain function is a key challenge in modern safety assessment. A recent study presents Zebra_K+, a zebrafish-based experimental system specifically designed as a New Approach Method (NAM) to investigate potential effects of substances on the nervous system. Using live zebrafish embryos and...

New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) are gaining momentum globally as tools to reduce animal testing and improve the efficiency and human relevance of chemical safety assessment. However, despite strong EU commitment, their full regulatory adoption remains challenging. A recent paper developed within the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from...

A newly published study introduces a validated analytical method to support more comprehensive and reliable human biomonitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) — chemicals that persist in the environment and accumulate in the human body, posing long-term health and ecological risks. Developed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS)...

A newly published EU-funded study presents a faster and more reliable way to measure traces of pesticides in human urine, helping scientists and public authorities better understand everyday chemical exposure. Published in the Journal of Chromatography A, the research describes a validated method capable of detecting small amounts of 23...

The European Commission’s Safe and Sustainable by Design (EC SSbD) Framework offers a voluntary, pre-market approach to embed safety and sustainability considerations throughout the full life cycle of chemicals, materials, processes, and products. By assessing safety and sustainability throughout the life cycle, the framework enables early identification of risks and...

PARC has published a milestone report outlining how innovation in chemicals and materials currently includes safety and sustainability assessment, supporting the implementation of Safe and Sustainable by Design by considering to how and to what extent safety and sustainability are already implemented. The work contributes to the broader Safe-and Sustainable-by-Design...

PARC is organising a remote training course titled “Pollution and public health: Insights from chlor-alkali emissions and trihalomethanes in drinking water”. The course is scientifically coordinated by Joan O. Grimalt from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) . The training is...

The Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) has published a new Concept Note on Suspect and Non-Target Screening (SS/NTS), developed within the Monitoring and Exposure work area, with contributions from the Innovative Methods team. The document provides scientific support to the policy positioning of SS/NTS approaches, which...

A newly published scientific study led by researchers involved in PARC provides important new insights into how exposure to chemical mixtures can influence skin sensitisation and the elicitation of allergic contact dermatitis, a common inflammatory skin disease affecting millions of people across Europe. Skin sensitisation and allergic contact dermatitis are...