Summary

Empa in St. Gallen is participating in the European major project PARC (Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals), which aims to improve the risk assessment of chemicals. The project networks over 200 partners from 29 countries, including eight Swiss research institutions and three federal offices. Empa is developing methods and tools in the sub-area "Safe and Sustainable by Design" (SSbD) to identify potential hazards of new chemicals in early development phases. PARC runs from 2022 to 2029 and aims to help prevent future scandals like DDT, asbestos, or PFAS.

People

  • Bernd Nowack (Empa researcher, co-leader of SSbD sub-task)

Topics

  • Chemical safety
  • EU research projects
  • Sustainable material development
  • Risk assessment

Clarus Lead

Switzerland is making a central contribution to one of the most ambitious EU chemical safety projects – at a time when synthetic substances like PFAS are becoming a global environmental problem. The SSbD approach addresses a structural oversight: while pharma and agrochemical industries have long worked preventively, this systematic approach is lacking in other industries. The development of specialized professionals ("SSbD practitioners") and planned collaboration with industry signal that prevention only works with economic actors – not just with authorities.

Detailed Summary

The PARC project works on nine different topics to further develop chemical risk assessment. Swiss coordination is led by the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), with participation from Empa, ETH Zurich, Eawag, Agroscope, and other institutions, as well as the Federal Offices for the Environment (BAFU) and Economy (SECO).

Empa's SSbD sub-task has already developed initial toolbox variants and tested them on known chemicals such as Bisphenol-A (BPA). The research approach is based on assessing and quantifying risks – however, the real challenge lies in interpreting this data, particularly for new substances with limited available information. Researchers like Bernd Nowack therefore work with estimates, modeling, and probabilistic models.

In the next steps, Empa plans to analyze development processes in pharmacy and agrochemistry, where SSbD is already standard, in order to transfer these methods to other industrial sectors. Additionally, Empa plans to include materials like graphene in the toolbox and to increase collaboration with industry – since chemical development takes place predominantly there.

Key Statements

  • European network of 200+ partners from 29 countries working on early hazard detection for chemicals
  • Swiss Empa research is already testing SSbD methods on known substances and developing assessment tools
  • Goal: Prevent future chemical scandals like DDT, asbestos, or PFAS through preventive risk analysis
  • Pharmacy sets the example – SSbD must now be integrated into other industries and early in development processes

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence/Data Quality: How valid are risk models for completely new chemicals when – as Nowack acknowledges – there is hardly any data available? What error rates are accepted?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: How is it ensured that industry partners do not dilute their own safety standards during SSbD development?

  3. Causality/Alternatives: Why has the pharmaceutical industry already established SSbD while other industries have not? Are regulatory differences or economic incentives the reason?

  4. Feasibility: How realistic is it that "SSbD practitioners" will be trained in sufficient numbers when this is a highly specialized role?

  5. Timeline: PARC runs until 2029 – how quickly can developed methods be integrated into EU regulation (e.g., REACH reform)?

  6. Scope: Does the toolbox also cover cumulative exposure scenarios, or does it assess chemicals in isolation?

Source Directory

Primary Source: Switzerland-EU Package (Bilateral III) – Research and Authorities Develop Better Risk Assessment for Chemicals – https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/Arqgvznye6u6GklO5HoPH

Supplementary Sources:

  • PARC Initiative – www.eu-parc.eu
  • Empa PARC page – www.empa.ch/web/s604/parc-initiative-fuer-sichere-chemikalien
  • Empa Department Technology and Society – www.empa.ch/web/s506

Verification status: ✓ 23.07.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Checking: 23.07.2026