Mission: Safe chemicals and healthy environments in a changing world

Modern society develops, produces, uses and spreads a huge and increasing diversity of chemicals and materials. Amongst them are pesticides, pharmaceuticals, plastic materials and chemical additives, and a large range of industrial chemicals including persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic ones such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Humans and ecosystems are exposed to complex mixtures of these compounds. Closely interacting with other environmental crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss and a shortage of clean water resources, chemical pollution has adverse impacts on human and environmental health. The mission of the Research Unit “Chemicals in the Environment” is to provide scientific innovation and interdisciplinary solutions for

• safe and sustainable chemicals that do not pose risks to humans and the environment supporting a circular economy and

• a healthy non-toxic environment for humans and ecosystems under changing climate, hydrological and socio-economic conditions.

In this, our tools and models as well as our infrastructures/platforms play key roles.

Our contribution: Innovative science for sustainable solutions

Hundreds of thousands of chemicals in use lack sound scientific data on adverse effects to humans and wildlife, underlying mechanisms of toxicity and knowledge on persistence and fate. To pave the path towards safe and sustainable chemicals we unravel mechanisms of effects on cells, organisms (including humans) and ecosystems and investigate the transformation of chemicals. We develop in vivo, in vitro and in silico new approach methodologies (NAMs) that provide mechanistic information and have the potential to replace animal testing. We apply the developed high-throughput NAM-based strategies to evaluate large numbers of individual chemicals, products as well as defined and undefined mixtures to support the identification of safe and sustainable chemicals. These strategies involve modern computational methods using machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).

To safeguard a healthy and non-toxic environment for humans and ecosystems we develop novel comprehensive monitoring strategies addressing complex mixtures of hazardous chemicals in the environment, in organisms and the human body. These strategies involve cutting-edge analytical screening tools for complex mixtures and trace analysis of challenging compound groups such as very polar and mobile compounds and nanoplastics. We use high-throughput effect-based methods to characterize hazardous mixtures. Extensive monitoring campaigns, mixture modeling, advanced data science and the interdisciplinary collaboration with scientists from other Research Units allows us to assess exposure and risk from the local to the continental scale and from water resources to human cohorts.

Methods and infrastructure

Our research for safe and sustainable chemicals and a non-toxic environment relies on a comprehensive unique research infrastructure. This infrastructure is based on advanced chemical analytical and bioanalytical instrumentation and methods, mesocosms, human and ecotoxicological model systems and modern data science and modelling.

Maximal coherence and efficiency of our research infrastructure is achieved in (bio-)analytical platforms such as CITEPro and ProMetheus. CITEPro is a platform for high-throughput sample preparation, the automated exposure of cell cultures and aquatic organisms, and the automated analysis of the effects and chemical concentrations for large numbers of chemicals, human and environmental samples. ProMetheus – a central bioinformatics and omics platform – enables the generation, qualitative and quantitative management of big data sets and information about cells, genes, proteins and metabolites and makes this information accessible.

Networks and knowledge transfer

We collaborate with national and international partners of various disciplines with a focus on Europe to maximize the impact of our research. To this end, we take leading roles in large scientific networks such as the Science-Policy Interface NORMAN (https://www.norman-network.net/ ) and the European Research Partnership PARC (https://www.eu-parc.eu/) and provide policy advice for the negotiation of the UNEP Global Plastics Treaty.

A close information exchange with national and international committees, authorities and institutions that are responsible for assessing chemicals is a prerequisite for transferring knowledge and results into practice. The broad spectrum of professional expertise in system-, cell- and ecotoxicology, epigenetics and molecular systems biology as well as unique analytical and bioanalytical competence and facilities make the UFZ a sought-after partner and expert for the scientific community, authorities and chemical industry.

The German Environment Agency (UBA), the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the USA are important strategic partners in our endeavor to achieve a non-toxic environment, safeguarding healthy people in a healthy environment.
 

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Highlights from the Research Unit