Pharm-ERA conferences are opened, but places on site are limited.

Please register here to join on site or virtually.

25/11 @ 14:00-14:45 : Edward TOPP , INRAE
Fate and impacts of antibiotics in terrestrial ecosystems: environmental and health issues in the one-health context.

Antibiotics are pharmaceuticals that prevent or treat bacterial infections in people or animals. They primarily enter the environment through human and animal waste streams, direct addition to aquaculture or crop production systems, and effluents from manufacturing factories. Unfortunately, bacterial pathogens of human and animal health concern are developing resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics. This is happening at a pace that is causing serious concern that the efficacy of these crucially important medicines will be lost with dire concern for public health. The environment has a crucially important role to play in the development and transmission of antibiotic resistance, and is integral to what has been coined the One Health continuum, through which bacteria readily circulate. This presentation will review aspects of the fate and impacts of selected antibiotics on terrestrial communities of bacteria, highlighting some recent findings and current knowledge gaps with respect to ERAs with endpoints that are of human health concern. Individuals with a particular interest on this topic are encouraged to read a recent report from the United Nations Environment Programme.

27/11 @ 10:30-11:15  Sabine DUQUESNE, German Governmental Agency
Overview of the European regulations for the Environmental Risk Assessment of chemicals, special focus on pesticides.

The registration and risk assessment of chemicals on the European market is currently separated between different legal frameworks, dependent on the chemical’s use. There are five main European chemical registration frameworks and risk assessment procedures that are covering 1) medicines for human use, 2) veterinary medicines, 3) pesticides, 4) biocides and 5) industrial chemicals. Overall, the function of the current frameworks is similar. Indeed the Environmental regulation of chemicals in the EU was implemented to protect the environment against potential adverse effects in water, sediment, soil and air caused by their use. But differences exist between the frameworks’ environmental protection goals and environmental risk assessment (ERA). In this presentation, an overview of the different regulations is presented with a special focus on pesticides and especially on aquatic ecosystems, in order to illustrate diverse aspects of ERA.

27/11 @ 11:15-12:00 : Benoit FERRARI, Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology Ecotoxicity of Soil, Sediment and Water: tools, gaps &  challenges.

Chemical analysis alone is insufficient for fully assessing the impact of chemicals on species and ecosystems. This is largely due to the growing number of (often unknown) chemical stressors and the complex mixture effects they create. Furthermore, ecological indices have limited capacity to pinpoint the specific stressors responsible for negative ecological outcomes. As a result, additional methods are required to directly address the biological effects of chemical exposure. Ecotoxicity tests fulfill this role and have been developed for use in soil, sediment, and water. In this presentation will give an overview of existing methods and deliver some thoughts on gaps and challenges for assessing the environemental risk in soil, sediment and water.