Keynote Speaker - Russell S. Thomas

KEYNOTE

Russell S. Thomas

Chemical Insights, Underwriters Laboratory Research Institutes, Marietta, GA USA

It is estimated that there are over 350,000 chemicals and mixtures on the combined world-wide inventories across regulatory jurisdictions (Wang et al., 2020). Relatively few of the chemicals registered for commercial use have traditional toxicity and exposure measurements that enable an understanding of potential human health risks. In the US, it has been estimated that less than 20% have at least one traditional toxicity study or traditional exposure monitoring data (EPA 2023; Isaacs et al., 2022). Much of the gap in toxicity and exposure data is driven by the high cost, lengthy time, and limited throughput of the traditional toxicity testing and exposure monitoring methods as well as the corresponding regulatory requirements. A sustainable chemical economy requires toxicity and exposure measurements in order to understand the health risks and trade- offs associated with different chemicals and their uses. Advances in chemical toxicity testing and analytical chemistry methods have lowered their cost, reduced the time required, and increased potential throughput, but their application in a regulatory context has been limited. The estimated potential economic and human health benefits of more rapid toxicity testing are significant even when the uncertainty associated with the new tests is greater (EPA 2024). The plenary address will review the background on the current challenges in toxicity testing and exposure measurements, provide an overview of the new methods that are being developed, how performance of the methods can be evaluated, and a perspective on the potential human health and economic benefits for a more sustainable chemical future.

Russell Thomas is the Executive Director and Vice President of the Chemical Insights Research Institute. Chemical Insights is part of the non-profit Underwriters Laboratories Research Institutes with a mission to reduce and eliminate adverse human health impacts of environmental and chemical pollution, in everyday life, and on a global basis by researching, communicating, and providing tools for safer working, living, and learning environments. Dr. Thomas has over twenty-five years of chemical safety research experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. He has a broad, multidisciplinary background with an undergraduate degree in chemistry, a master’s degree in radiation ecology and health physics, and a doctorate in toxicology. He performed his postdoctoral training in molecular biology and genomics. Prior to joining Chemical Insights, Dr. Thomas worked for twelve years in the Office of Research and Development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.