EU risk assessment gains Finnish work environment expertise
The Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has appointed Tiina Santonen, team leader at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) as one of its experts. The committee is an important body of experts that provides the Commission with recommendations on the classification and labelling of chemicals, possible restrictions on their use and for some dangerous chemicals, i.e. substances of very high concern (SVHC) authorization.
The EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) chemical legislation has permitted several SVHCs to become subject to authorization. Authorization is only granted if it is possible to prove that the risks are minimized and that the benefits of the use of the chemical outweigh the possible dangers.
“One of the tasks of the Committee for Risk Assessment is to provide recommendations for the authorization of SVHCs, which pose a risk of cancer or are a risk to reproductive health, for instance,” says Tiina Santonen. “Examples of these types of substances are chromates and certain phthalates that disrupt hormone activity, and are used to soften plastics.”
“Providing the EU with an expert’s work contribution is a big investment of resources for FIOH. The work will require several person-months and possibly a person-year from Santonen and her Chemical safety team,” says Director of FIOH’s Centre of Expertise for Work Environment Development, Timo Tuomi.
“At the same time, however, membership of the Committee for Risk Assessment promotes the use of FIOH’s knowledge regarding occupational health and the work environment in the EU decision-making chain. Finnish expertise is the best in its field,” reminds Tuomi. Another Finnish member of the Committee is Riitta Leinonen from TUKES (Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency).
Tiina Santonen, 41, received her PhD as a Medical Doctor from the University of Turku in 1998, and her MSc in Applied Toxicology from the University of Surrey in 2005. Santonen has worked as an expert, researcher and team leader at FIOH since 2001.
She acts as an expert in several national and international committees, for example, The Finnish Advisory Committee on Chemicals (under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health), the Nordic Expert Group for Criteria Documentation of Health Risks from Chemicals (NEG), and the EU Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL). She has also played an active role in the Centre of Excellence for Serious Chemical Threats, which improves national preparedness for acute chemical incidents in Finland.
Further information
Tiina Santonen, Team Leader, FIOH, tel. +358 40 539 0343, tiina.santonen@ttl.fi (picture attached)
Timo Tuomi, Director of Centre of Expertise, FIOH, tel. +358 40 8492928, timo.tuomi@ttl.fi
Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
European Chemicals Agency, Annankatu 18, FI-00121 Helsinki, Finland
The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health researches, develops and specializes in well-being at work. It promotes occupational health and safety and the well-being of workers. It is an independent institution under public law, working under the administrative sector of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. It has six regional offices, and its headquarters are in Helsinki. It employs about 730 people.
