What happens to the chemicals we use in everyday life once they enter the environment?

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Irene Bramke, Senior Environmental Risk Assessor at AstraZeneca. 

Irene and I have a detailed discussion about persistence (how long it takes for chemicals to break down in the environment). With recent concerns around plastic pollution, PFAS 'forever chemicals', and broader sustainability goals, the persistence of chemicals in the environment has become one of the most urgent and pressing issues for policymakers and society.

Irene and I discuss the science behind persistence, and how it relates to the risks chemicals might pose to people and the environment. We also talk about recent regulatory developments in Europe, and how these are reshaping the future of chemicals management. 

Our conversation covers:

• Irene's background and career journey
• Grappling with complexity - insights from studying soils in an agrochemicals company
• Industry's participation in regulatory science - then vs now
• Issues of environmental relevance in laboratory biodegradation testing
• The evolving policy landscape for persistence
• Non-degradable chemicals and the legacy P/vP criteria
• In the eye of the beholder - the meaning of word 'persistent'
• Implications of new policies - the PMT/vPvM hazard classes
• A troubling outlook - data gaps, transformation products, and questionable impact assessments?
• Reflections on OECD simulation tests as tools for persistence assessments
• Insights from AstraZeneca's Ecopharmacovigilance programme
• The importance of data quality in monitoring efforts - the CREED approach
• Shifting regulatory paradigms - hazard assessment vs risk assessment, and the need for continuing dialogue
• Can we get better at assessing persistence? High-throughput and predictive methods

PBT/PMT assessment of active pharmaceutical ingredients - ScienceDirect

Environmental fate and effects assessment of human pharmaceuticals: lessons learnt from regulatory data | Environmental Sciences Europe

Overcoming challenges and advancing (bio)degradation guidelines: OECD TG309 revisited - ECETOC

AstraZeneca - EcoPharmacoVigilance Dashboard

Using environmental concentration exposure datasets in environmental assessments: The development of Criteria for Reporting and Evaluating Exposure Datasets (CREED): Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management

HOMEPAGE - imi-premier

Modernizing assessment of persistence and transformation products of chemicals – from new tools to implementation (23-October 24, 2025): Overview · HIFIS and Helmholtz Events (Indico)

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