Chemical assessment projects

Major Projects

The Lower Olefins and Aromatics (LOA) Consortium functions as an open-ended consortium founded in 2008 by European manufacturers to coordinate and streamline REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) compliance. The consortium includes approximately 46 major petrochemical companies. The aim of the consortium was to pool financial and technical resources to produce joint registration dossiers that meet REACH’s Annex VII–X requirements, enabling cost-effective registration of approximately 150 substances.

The Higher Olefins and Poly Alpha Olefins REACH Consortium (HOPA REACH Consortium) was established in January 2009. HOPA manages a range of higher olefins and polyalpha olefins, focusing on substances often used as intermediates in the manufacture of products like lubricants, surfactants, detergent alcohols, and plasticizers. Its primary role is to coordinate the registration, evaluation, and compliance activities for higher olefins and polyalpha olefins under the European Union’s REACH regulation, ensuring that member companies meet regulatory requirements for these substances.

Additional Projects

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) – Chesar testing and drafting guidance
Elevance Renewable Sciences – Advice on REACH implementation, human health and environmental exposure assessment using Chesar and environmental toxicology advice.
Lower Olefins and Aromatic (LOA) REACH Consortium – Environmental Hazard Evaluation, and Environmental and Human Health Exposure Modelling
Consortium, the Higher Olefins and Poly Alpha Olefins (HOPA) REACH Consortium – Environmental Hazard Evaluation
Frits REACH Consortium – Hazard Evaluation and Human Health Exposure Modelling
Hydrocarbon Solvents REACH Consortium (HCSRC) – REACH Evaluation for Hexane and Hexane Products
Concawe – Gas Oils REACH Evaluation
International Lead Association (ILA) Consortium
Precious Metals Consortium (PMC) – Hazard Evaluation
H4R Consortium – Exposure Modelling
Furaldehyde and Furfural Alcohol Consortia – Exposure Modelling
REACH Authorisation Application – Confidential Client
Ethylbenzene Hazard and Exposure REACH Evaluation
Propylene Oxide REACH Re-evaluation and Exposure Modelling
Polymer Evaluation under REACH – CEFIC
Acetyls REACH Consortia – Hazard Evaluation
CHESAR Training and Support
Concerted Action for Risk Assessment Of Contaminated Sites (CARACAS), Environment Agency.
Comparison of amphibian and fish data on thyroid-mediated endocrine disrupting chemicals for BASF.
Analysis of secondary poisoning potential of diclofenac discharged from wastewater treatment plants for GSK.
Assessment of cyanide pollution incident for the Environment Agency of England and Wales.
Review of the regulatory use of water accommodated fractions for assessing complex petrochemical substances for Shell Health.
Critique of the regulatory use of the infaunal quality index by SEPA for the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation.
Review of regulatory and environmental monitoring systems for sea lice treatments in Canada, Norway, and Scotland for Pharmaq.
Review of Scottish Environment Protection Agency analyses of marine ecological and chemical data for MSD Animal Health.
Assessment of pollution incident for Mettis Aerospace.
Assessment of potential pollution incident involving benzene, biphenyl, and sulphur for Jacksons Business Law.
Assessment of pollution incident for Eric Wright Civil Engineering.
Statistical analysis of fish reproduction assay control performance for Corteva AgriScience.
Assessment of the population relevance to vertebrate wildlife of endocrine-disrupting chemicals for the European Crop Protection Association.
Peer review of sediment Environmental Quality Standards for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Assessment of potential sublethal effects of emamectin benzoate on non-target marine organisms for the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation.
Report evaluations for the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum.
Assessment of acute to chronic predictive relationships for fish for Syngenta.
Development of Material Flow Analyses for the Cobalt REACH Consortium.
Expert witness on pollution incidents for the Environment Agency of England and Wales.
Critique of the Parasiticide Treatment Index for Marine Harvest.
Assessment of possibilities for waiving fish tests under REACH and CLP for the European Commission.
Assessment of statistical relationships between fish and amphibian test results for Syngenta, Dow and BASF.
Benefit-risk assessment for hexaflumuron for Pharmaq.
Development of a framework to translate environmental risk assessment outputs into socio-economic analysis inputs when developing Restrictions under REACH for ECHA’s Risk Assessment Committee.
Assessment of links between REACH and the Water Framework Directive (confidential commercial client).
REACH PBT and vPvB assessments of 500 substances (confidential commercial client).
Assessment of REACH strategic issues for Water UK.
Guidance on use of Soil Screening Values for the Environment Agency.
Use of QSAR and read across for developing Environmental Quality Standards for the European Commission.
Review of Environmental Quality Standards and sea louse treatments for Scottish salmon for the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation.
Support of a tiered approach to evaluate endocrine effects in aquatic organisms for Cefic.
Statistical analysis of fish lifecycle studies for OECD.
Development of an alternative sample analysis for FEPA licensing for Defra.
Assessment of water quality components of Environmental Statements for various clients.
Assessment of regulatory testing strategies and methods for characterizing the ecotoxicological hazards of nanomaterials for Defra.
Assessment of environmental toxicology laboratory compliance with ISO 17025 for the United Kingdom Accreditation Service.
Development of alternatives to animal testing for risk assessment to meet the requirements of new chemicals legislation for Defra.
Desk based review of current knowledge on pharmaceuticals in drinking water and estimation of potential levels for Defra.
Case study to develop tools and methodologies to deliver an ecosystem-based approach for Defra.
Review of SIDS and SIARS for Defra.
Assessment of aquaculture Environmental Quality Standards for the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum.
Probabilistic modelling of Biochemical Oxygen Demand and Dissolved Oxygen concentrations in English and Welsh watercourses as a result of road drainflow for Safecote Limited.
Review of aquatic effects data for lead voluntary risk assessment for the Lead Development Association.
Organisation and chairing of a policy workshop on soil carbon loss for Defra.
Organisation and chairing of a technical workshop on terrestrial ecological risk assessment for the Environment Agency.
Risk assessment of 4-tert-pentylphenol and dinonylphenol for the Environment Agency.
Review of the requirements and funding arrangements for research into cetacean strandings for Defra. [http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/resprog/findings/cetaceanstrand-review/index.htm]
Probabilistic environmental risk assessment training for CEA.
Critique of Water Framework Directive Annex X Environmental Quality Standards for Water UK and Euro Chlor.
Development of Water Framework Directive Annex VIII Environmental Quality Standards for the Environment Agency.
Review of chronic aquatic toxicity testing of human pharmaceuticals for the Environment Agency.
Probabilistic risk assessment of distillery accidents for SEPA under the COMAH regulations.
Advice on hazardous substances in products for Focus Wickes to comply with the Friends of the Earth Risky Retailers Pledge.
Advice on pesticides monitoring for the Environment Agency.
Advice on human and veterinary medicine risk assessment for various business clients.
Development of a framework for implementing sediment quality guidelines by the Environment Agency.
Development of soil screening values for the Environment Agency.
Advice to the Environment Agency on the risks to non-target wildlife from use of pesticide tank mixes.
Advice to the Environment Agency and business clients on environmental risk assessment of human medicines.
Business planning advice for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
Development of environmental horizon scanning projects for Defra.
Advice on aquatic snail biology and toxicity testing for the Environment Agency.
Development of a framework for environmental and health standards for the Environment Agency.
Scoping study on the impacts of pesticides in the aquatic environment for the Environment Agency.
Scoping study on the effects of climate change on environmental and human health standards for the Environment Agency.
Development of Environmental Quality Standards for dioxins and priority substances for Defra in collaborative project with WRc-NSF.
Social acceptability of pesticide impacts on non-target species for Defra.
Collaboration with the Central Science Laboratory to provide advice to Defra on improved approaches to assessing long-term pesticide risks to birds and mammals.
Critique of proposed sediment Environmental Quality Standards under the Water Framework Directive for the Environment Agency.
Risk assessment of effluent impacts on waterfowl in the Severn Estuary for the Environment Agency.
Advice to the Environment Agency and English Nature on the use of bioassays for assessing risks to conservation sites under the Habitats Directive.
Project management for the Environment Agency of work on timber treatments, veterinary medicines in the environment, sheep dip environmental impacts and field test kits for sheep dips.
Advice on veterinary and pesticide product applications to the Environment Agency pesticides group at the National Centre for Ecotoxicology and Hazardous Substances.
Advice to the EU Technical Group on use of species sensitivity distributions in risk assessment, on behalf of the Environment Agency.
Advice to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on appropriate statistical techniques for analysing toxicity test results.
Application of Direct Toxicity Assessment protocols to the River Esk for the Environment Agency.
Analysis of multivariate Direct Toxicity Assessment data from the Tees estuary for the Environment Agency.
Development of risk assessment guidelines for Direct Toxicity Assessment for the Environment Agency.
Development of recommendations on use of ecotoxicological and other biological techniques for risk assessment of contaminated land for the Environment Agency.
Review of use of bioassays for monitoring ambient water quality for the Environment Agency.
Preparation and co-ordination of Direct Toxicity Assessment publications for the Environment Agency.
UK case study on probabilistic risk assessment for aquatic organisms for DEFRA.
Environmental risk assessment of mercury for the EU.
Development of workload allocation model for School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London.
Development of technical marketing plans for WRc-NSF.
Training in ecotoxicology and risk assessment for MSc Environmental Analysis and Assessment students at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Training in project management, team building and negotiation skills for biology and geology postgraduate students at Royal Holloway, University of London.