Introduction to and Training on Risk Assessment for Micro and Nano Plastics

This interactive workshop provides an introduction to risk assessment for micro and nanoplastics and invites participants to fully engage in the live session.

In this workshop, the lecturers provide an introduction to risk assessment for micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) and participants are given an overview on the basics of risk assessment and various tools to support the assessment procedure. The lecturers receive feedback from the participants on data needs and availability as well as which tools might exist in the portfolios of the MNP projects and/or MNP Cluster partners.

Following a welcome by the Scientific Coordinator, Rudolf Reuther (ENAS, DE), the workshop  starts with an overview by Dana Kühnel [UFZ Leipzig, DE] on the current regulation of polymers. Some of the main tools and methods for risk assessment are shown. In a feedback round supported by a mentimeter query, crucial topics and issues to consider for human risk assessment are discussed.

In a second lecture, Blanca Pozuelo Rollón [ITENE, Paterna, SP] demonstrates a first approach for the decision support system (DSS) that she and her colleagues are developing. The feedback session enables a discussion of impressions of the approach and the tools used. The focus is placed on existing tools, tools under development, and additional tools, and how are they provided and integrated into risk assessment. A discussion on data sharing in the project and the implementation in the web-based DSS platform  completes this session.

Bernd Giese [BOKU Vienna, AT] introduces the Prospective Multi-Criteria Decision Support System for plastics (PMCDS) and its intended use in the context of PlasticsFatE. Sebastian Purker [BOKU Vienna, AT] then gives the audience the opportunity in a discussion round to add and rank the main criteria via mentimeter; for example, on the relevance of the proposed criteria and what could be important features of the tool. In an open discussion session, led by Bernd Giese and Sebastian Purker, the results of the feedback from the mentimeter query are collected and discussed. A final discussion on the information needs for the different criteria and for the application of the tool give indications of other PMCDS data needs, on the data partners are collecting, and how they can be integrated into the PMCDS.

Finally, on behalf of Damjana Drobne [Univ. of Ljubljana, Slovenia] Dana Kühnel delivers a lecture on the importance of data management as well as the recommendations and suggestions of the RD manager in PlasticsFatE.

To conclude, Dana Kühnel summarises the training workshop.

For more information, contact hello@plasticsfate.eu and visit our website www.plasticsfate.eu