Laboratory networks

P-A-R-C aims to promote the further development of existing and new infrastructural capacities, including laboratory networks, in the fields of human biomonitoring, environmental monitoring (ambient and indoor air, water, sediment, soil, biota, food and feed, articles/consumer products), and (eco)toxicology. The development of these laboratory networks includes comprehensive mapping and cataloguing, increasing their visibility, expanding existing networks, and identifying gaps.

These efforts are designed to support a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, businesses, and organisations involved in chemical risk assessment. To achieve this, the strategy for establishing and strengthening laboratory networks is structured around three main pillars.

Expert working groups: Existing domain-specific expert groups contribute to designing recruitment strategies and developing detailed questionnaires for collecting information on laboratory capacities.
Interactive maps: Each domain will feature an interactive map on the PARC website, showcasing basic analytical capacities and contact information of laboratories. This will increase their visibility and accessibility to stakeholders.
Dashboard: A comprehensive dashboard will be accessible through the PARC website, providing extended information to stakeholders and the public, and increasing awareness of the laboratories’ expertise.
Networking activities: A structured plan will promote interaction among laboratories and support the consolidation of networks, ensuring that they remain active, sustainable, and collaborative.

The laboratory networks developed within PARC will be maintained and regularly updated throughout the duration of the project.

Does your laboratory have experience in monitoring of chemicals in human and environmental matrices, food and feed, biota, and in toxicology?

If the answer is yes, join the PARC laboratory networks by completing the following questionnaire.

JOIN THE EUROPEAN NETWORK OF LABORATORIES ↗

Benefits of joining the PARC laboratory networks include:

Increased visibility at the European level and beyond.
Enhanced visibility of your analytical capacities among key stakeholders, fostering potential collaborations and partnerships.
Opportunities to participate in knowledge exchange and networking activities.
Contribution to harmonisation efforts, the development of new analytical methods, and quality assurance schemes.

Human biomonitoring (HBM) laboratory network

Since the launch of PARC, activities have focused on expanding the European HBM laboratory network, building on the work carried out under HBM4EU ↗ (the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative). The first European network of HBM laboratories ↗, established under HBM4EU, is being further developed, refined, and consolidated within PARC.

Currently, the European HBM laboratory network comprises 212 laboratories. Detailed information on analytical capacities is available for 101 of these laboratories.

Discover our PARC European HBM network here.

For those laboratories interested in participating in the analysis of HBM samples within PARC, please be aware that by joining this network you will automatically receive information about the PARC Quality Assurance/Quality Control programme (QA/QC programme). Successful participation in this programme is a prerequisite for performing HBM chemical analyses in PARC.

For inquiries, please contact: PARCisciii [dot] es.

Environmental monitoring laboratory networks

PARC has initiated the development of inventories of laboratories with expertise in the chemical analysis of air (ambient and indoor) and water, alongside efforts to expand these networks.

European network of air laboratories:
Currently comprises 88 laboratories, with detailed analytical capacity information available for 35 laboratories.
Discover the European network of air laboratories here.
European network of water laboratories:
Currently comprises 114 laboratories, with detailed analytical capacity information available for 42 laboratories.
Discover the European network of water laboratories here.

Activities have also been initiated in the domains of food/feed and articles/consumer products. In the coming years, these efforts will be extended to soil, sediments, and biota.

(Eco)toxicology laboratory network

The mapping of existing (eco)toxicology laboratories has recently begun. A dedicated strategy has been developed to capture the full spectrum of (eco)toxicological capacities and resources across Europe, including laboratories, in a single step.

The current European network of (eco)toxicology laboratories comprises 77 laboratories, with detailed analytical capacity information available for 73 laboratories.

The interactive map for this domain is currently under development.

All thematic areas

Risk assessments

Find out how we monitor chemicals guided by regulatory challenges both in humans and in the environment, observing different sources, chemical fates and exposure pathways.

Learn new approaches and methods of health assessment and provide data to fill gaps in knowledge on poorly characterised contaminants or new emerging hazards while promoting the use of innovative methods.

Tools & resources

PARC is developing the Chemical Risk Assesssment Hub that will be a service to provide FAIR data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) to the different stakeholders.

Learn how the PARC Early Warning System helps protect your health and the environment by spotting harmful chemicals early, before they become a bigger problem.

Discover how the PARC Model Network helps make chemical risk assessment smarter, faster and more connected by linking tools and data to better protect your health and the environment.

Learn how we are boosting innovation for modelling exposure and risks and monitoring chemicals in both human and environmental matrices.

Come to know how we are catalysing the shift towards safe and sustainable chemicals, materials and products to to minimize negative impacts on human health and the environment.

Building infrastructure and human capacities

PARC has the ambition to make 70-80% of PARC-generated data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). This requires extensive technical development to provide the infrastructure needed, as well as training of FAIR implementers to support PARC partners and projects to implement the FAIR workflows being developed. Discover our progress in building FAIR skills and capacity here.

Check out how we work towards increased harmonisation of quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) in chemical analysis and toxicity testing to ensure that monitoring and hazard data generated in PARC are reliable, consistent, and comparable.

Get to know the European laboratories that belong to our existing network as well as the new recruitments in order to maintain and to strengthen monitoring capacities.

Check our mapping and cataloguing environmental (air, water/sediment, soil, biota, drinking water, food & feed) monitoring networks as well as the gaps and opportunities for future alignment.

Stay up to date on the latest trainings in the field of environmental monitoring and biomonitoring of chemicals to improve the overall quality of chemical risk assessment and management globally.

Science to policy

Explore how PARC’s Rapid Response Mechanism tackles urgent health and environmental challenges.

We are connecting PARC partners and external stakeholders, from both the research and the regulatory domains, to apply the long-term visions of the European policies related to chemical safety.

PARC is inviting the whole community of professionals in chemical risk assessment in Europe and worldwide to share their knowledge and ideas on the PARCopedia platform launched in November 2023. PARCopedia is a not-for-profit, ad-free knowledge management and social media environment.

PARC will develop a series of strategic roadmaps guiding step-by-step to the uptake of innovative science into the regulatory practice of chemical risk assessment in the EU. The first one will be NGRAroute, an activity to implement Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) in all major legislations on chemicals in the EU.

See the Next Generation Risk Assessment in action for the benefit of human and the environment.