The Madrid Statement documents the scientific consensus regarding the persistence and potential for harm of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and lays out a roadmap to gather needed information and prevent further harm.

It was published in the May 2015 issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

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The Madrid Statement on Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)

As scientists and other professionals from a variety of disciplines, we are concerned about the production and release into the environment of an increasing number of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) for the following reasons:

PFASs are man-made and found everywhere. PFASs are highly persistent, as they contain perfluorinated chains that only degrade very slowly, if at all, under environmental conditions. It is documented that some polyfluorinated chemicals break down to form perfluorinated ones[1]. PFASs are found in the indoor and outdoor environments, wildlife, and human tissue and bodily fluids all over the globe. They are emitted via industrial processes and military and firefighting operations[2], [3], and they migrate out of consumer products into air[4], household dust[5], food[6], [7], [8], soil[9], [10], ground and surface water, and make their way into drinking water[11], [12]. In animal studies, some long-chain PFASs have been found to cause liver toxicity, disruption of lipid metabolism, the immune and endocrine systems, adverse neurobehavioral effects, neonatal toxicity and death, and tumors in multiple organ systems[13], [14]. In the growing body of epidemiological evidence, some of these effects are supported by significant or suggestive associations between specific long-chain PFASs and adverse outcomes, including associations with testicular and kidney cancers[15], [16], liver malfunction[17], hypothyroidism[18], high cholesterol[19], [20], ulcerative colitis[21], lower birth weight and size[22], obesity[23], decreased immune response to vaccines[24], and reduced hormone levels and delayed puberty[25]. Due to their high persistence, global distribution, bioaccumulation potential and toxicity, some PFASs have been listed under the Stockholm Convention[26] as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). As documented in the Helsingør Statement[27], Although some of the long-chain PFASs are being regulated or phased out, the most common replacements are short-chain PFASs with similar structures, or compounds with fluorinated segments joined by ether linkages.

While some shorter-chain fluorinated alternatives seem to be less bioaccumulative, they are still as environmentally persistent as long-chain substances or have persistent degradation products. Thus, a switch to short-chain and other fluorinated alternatives may not reduce the amounts of PFASs in the environment. In addition, because some of the shorter-chain PFASs are less effective, larger quantities may be needed to provide the same performance.

While many fluorinated alternatives are being marketed, little information is publicly available on their chemical structures, properties, uses, and toxicological profiles.

Increasing use of fluorinated alternatives will lead to increasing levels of stable perfluorinated degradation products in the environment, and possibly also in biota and humans. This would increase the risks of adverse effects on human health and the environment. Initial efforts to estimate the overall emissions of PFASs into the environment have been limited due to uncertainties related to product formulations, quantities of production, production locations, efficiency of emission controls, and long-term trends in production history[28]. The technical capacity to destroy PFASs is currently insufficient in many parts of the world.

Global action through the Montreal Protocol[29] successfully reduced the use of the highly persistent ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), thus allowing for the recovery of the ozone layer. However, many of the organofluorine replacements for CFCs are still of concern due to their high global warming potential. It is essential to learn from such past efforts and take measures at the international level to reduce the use of PFASs in products and prevent their replacement with fluorinated alternatives in order to avoid long-term harm to human health and the environment.

For these reasons, we call on the international community to cooperate in limiting the production and use of PFASs and in developing safer non-fluorinated alternatives. We therefore urge scientists, governments, chemical and product manufacturers, purchasing organizations, retailers, and consumers to take the following actions:

A. Scientists:

Assemble, in collaboration with industry and governments, a global inventory of all PFASs in use or in the environment, including precursors and degradation products, their functionality, properties, and toxicology. Develop analytical methods for the identification and quantification of additional families of PFASs, including fluorinated alternatives. Continue monitoring for legacy PFASs in different matrices and for environmental reservoirs of PFASs. Continue investigating the mechanisms of toxicity and exposure (e.g., sources, fate, transport, and bioaccumulation of PFASs), and improve methods for testing the safety of alternatives. Bring research results to the attention of policy makers, industry, the media, and the public.

B. Governments:

Enact legislation to require only essential uses of PFASs and enforce labeling to indicate uses. Require manufacturers of PFASs to conduct more extensive toxicological testing,

make chemical structures public,

provide validated analytical methods for detection of PFASs, and

assume extended producer responsibility and implement safe disposal of products and stockpiles containing PFASs. Work with industry to develop public registries of products containing PFASs. Make public annual statistical data on production, imports, and exports of PFASs. Whenever possible, avoid products containing, or manufactured using, PFASs in government procurement. In collaboration with industry, ensure that an infrastructure is in place to safely transport, dispose of, and destroy PFASs and PFAS-containing products, and enforce these measures.

C. Chemical manufacturers:

Make data on PFASs publicly available, including chemical structures, properties, and toxicology. Provide scientists with standard samples of PFAS, including precursors and degradation products, to enable environmental monitoring of PFASs. Provide the supply chain with documentation on PFASs content and safe disposal guidelines. Work with scientists and governments to develop safe disposal methods for PFASs. Develop nonfluorinated alternatives that are neither persistent nor toxic.

D. Product manufacturers and other professional users:

Stop using PFASs where they are not essential or when safer alternatives exist. Develop inexpensive and sensitive PFAS quantification methods for compliance testing. Label products containing PFASs, including chemical identity and disposal guidelines. Invest in the development and use of nonfluorinated alternatives.

E. Purchasing organizations, retailers, and individual consumers:

Whenever possible, avoid products containing, or manufactured using, PFASs. These include many products that are stain-resistant, waterproof, or non-stick. Question the use of such fluorinated “performance” chemicals added to consumer products.

References

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[2] Darwin RL. 2011. Estimated inventory of PFOS-based aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). Arlington, VA:Fire Fighter Fighting Foam Coalition. Available: http://chm.pops.int/TheConvention/POPsReviewCommittee/Meetings/POPRC7/POPRC7Followup/Requestsforinformation/RequestsforcommentsbyPOPRC7IWGs/CommentsonPFOSinopenapplications/tabid/2746/ctl/Download/mid/8994/Default.aspx?id=12&ObjID=14391 [accessed 6 April 2015].

[3] Fire Fighting Foam Coalition. 2014. Fact Sheet on AFFF Fire Fighting Agents. Arlington, VA: Fire Firghting Foam Coalition. Available: http://www.fffc.org/images/AFFFfactsheet14.pdf [accessed 6 April 2015].

[4] Shoeib M, Harner T, Webster GM, Lee SC. 2011. Indoor sources of poly- and perfluorinated compounds (PFCS) in Vancouver, Canada: Implications for human exposure. Environ Sci Technol 45(19):7999-8005; doi:10.1021/es103562v.

[5] Björklund JA, Thuresson K, de Wit CA. 2009. Perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) in indoor dust: concentrations, human exposure estimates, and sources. Environ Sci Technol 43(7):2276-2281; doi:10.1021/es803201a.

[6] Begley TH, Hsu W, Noonan G, Diachenko G. 2008. Migration of fluorochemical-paper additives from food-contact paper into foods and food simulants. Food Addit Contam Part A 25(3):384-390; doi:10.1080/02652030701513784.

[7] Trier X, Granby K, Christensen JH. 2011. Polyfluorinated surfactants (PFS) in paper and board coatings for food packaging. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 18(7):1108-1120; doi:10.1007/s11356-010-0439-3.

[8] Tittlemier SA, Pepper K, Seymour C, Moisey J, Bronson, R, Cao XL, et al. 2007. Dietary exposure of Canadians to perfluorinated carboxylates and perfluorooctane sulfonate via consumption of meat, fish, fast foods, and food items prepared in their packaging. J Agric Food Chem 55(8):3203-3210; doi:10.1021/jf0634045.

[9] Strynar MJ, Lindstrom AB, Nakayama SF, Egeghy PP, Helfant LJ. 2012. Pilot scale application of a method for the analysis of perfluorinated compounds in surface soils. Chemosphere 86(3):252-257; doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.09.036.

[10] Sepulvado JG, Blaine AC, Hundal LS, Higgins CP. 2011. Occurrence and fate of perfluorochemicals in soil following the land application of municipal biosolids. Environ Sci Technol 45(19):8106-8112.

[11] Rahman MF, Peldszus S, Anderson WB. Behaviour and fate of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking water treatment: A review. Water Res 50:318-340; doi:10.1016/j.watres.2013.10.045.

[12] Eschauzier C, Beerendonk E, Scholte-Veenendaal P, De Vogt P. 2012. Impact of treatment processes on the occurrence of perfluoroalkyl acids in the drinking water production chain. Environ Sci Technol 46(3):1708-1715; doi:10.1021/es201662b.

[13] Lau C, Anitole K, Hodes C, Lai D, Pfahles-Hutchens A, Seed J. 2007. Perfluoroalkyl acids: A review of monitoring & toxicological findings. Toxicol Sci 99(2):366-394.

[14] Post GB, Cohn PD, Cooper KR. 2012. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), an emerging drinking water contaminant: A critical review of recent literature. Environ Res 116:93-117; doi:10.1016/j.envres.2012.03.007.

[15] Benbrahim-Tallaa L, Lauby-Secretan B, Loomis D, Guyton KZ, Grosse Y, Ghissassi FE, et al. 2014. Carcinogenicity of perfluorooctanoic acid, tetrafluoroethylene, dichloromethane, 1,2-dichloropropane, and 1,3-propane sultone. Lancet Oncol 15(9):924-925; doi:10.1016/ S1470-2045(14)70316-X.

[16] Barry V, Winquist A, Steenland K. 2013. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) exposures and incident cancers among adults living near a chemical plant. Environ Health Perspect 121(11-12):1313–1318; doi:10.1289/ehp.1306615.

[17] Gallo V, Leonardi G, Genser B, Lopez-Espinosa MJ, Frisbee SJ, Karlsson L, et al. 2012. Serum perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentrations and liver function biomarkers in a population with elevated PFOA exposure. Environ Health Perspect 120(5):655-660; doi: 10.1289/ehp.1104436.

[18] Lopez-Espinosa MJ, Mondal D, Armstrong B, Bloom MS, Fletcher T. 2012. Thyroid function and perfluoroalkyl acids in children living near a chemical plant. Environ Health Perspect 120(7):1036-1041; doi:10.1289/es1104370.

[19] Fitz-Simon N, Fletcher T, Luster MI, Steenland K, Calafat AM, Kato K, et al. 2013. Reductions in serum lipids with a 4-year decline in serum perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. Epidemiology 24(4):569-576.

[20] Nelson JW, Hatch EE, Webster TF. 2010. Exposure to polyfluoroalkyl chemicals and cholesterol, body weight, and insulin resistance in the general U.S. population. Environ Health Perspect 118(2):197-202.

[21] Steenland K, Zhao L, Winquist A, Parks C. 2013. Ulcerative colitis and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in a highly exposed population of community residents and workers in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Environ Health Perspect 121(8):900-905; doi:10.1289/ehp.1206449.

[22] Fei C, McLaughlin JK, Tarone RE, Olsen J. 2007. Perfluorinated chemicals and fetal growth: a study within the Danish National Birth Cohort. Environ Health Perspect 115(11):1677-1682; doi:10.1289/ehp.10506.

[23] Halldorsson TI, Rytter D, Haug LS, Bech BH, Danielsen I, Becher G, et al. 2012. Prenatal exposure to perfluorooctanoate and risk of overweight at 20 years of age: a prospective cohort study. Environ Health Perspect 120(5):668-673; doi:10.1289/ehp.1104034.

[24] Grandjean P, Andersen EW, Budtz-Jørgensen E, Nielsen F, Mølbak K, Weihe P, et al. 2012. Serum vaccine antibody concentrations in children exposed to perfluorinated compounds. J American Med Assoc 307(4): 391-397; doi:10.1001/jama.2011.2034.

[25] Lopez-Espinosa M, Fletcher T, Armstrong B, Genser B, Dhatariya K, Mondal D, et al. 2011. Association of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) with age of puberty among children living near a chemical plant. Environ Sci Technol 45(19):8160-8166; doi:10.1021/es1038694.

[26] United Nations Environment Programme. 2009. The new POPs under the Stockholm Convention. Châtelaine, Switzerland: Stockholm Convention, United Nations Environment Programme. Available: http://chm.pops.int/Implementation/NewPOPs/TheNewPOPs/tabid/672/Default.aspx [accessed 6 April 2015].

[27] Scheringer M, Trier X, Cousins IT, de Voogt P, Fletcher T, Wang Z, et al. 2014. Helsingør Statement on poly- & perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs). Chemosphere 114: 337-339; doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.05.044.

[28] Wang Z, Cousins IT, Scheringer M, Buck RC, Hungerbühler K. 2014. Global emission inventories for C4-C14 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA) homologues from 1951 to 2030, part II: the remaining pieces of the puzzle. Environ Int 69:166-176; doi:10.1016/j.envint.2014.04.006.

[29] United Nations Environment Programme. 2012. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Nairobi, Kenya:Montreal Protocol, United Nations Environment Programme. Available: http://ozone.unep.org/new_site/en/Treaties/treaties_decisions-hb.php?sec_id=5 [accessed 6 April 2015].

Sign the Madrid Statement

Please fill out the form below to sign the Madrid Statement on per- and polyfluorinated chemicals.

The names of all new sign-ons will be posted as an appendix to the published Madrid Statement on this and other websites.

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Authors and Signatories

This statement is authored and signed by the individual scientists and other professionals listed separately below. Please note that the views are those of the authors and signatories; institutional affiliations are provided for identification purposes only.

Authors

Arlene Blum, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar, Dept. of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Executive Director, Green Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA Simona A. Balan, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Green Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA Martin Scheringer, PD Dr., Senior Scientist, Safety and Environmental Technology Group, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Gretta Goldenman, President, European Centre on Sustainable Policies for Human and Environmental Rights (ECOSPHERE), Brussels, Belgium Xenia Trier, MSc, Ph.D., Research Chemist, Division of Food Chemistry, DTU Food, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark Ian Cousins, Ph.D., Professor, Dept. of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Miriam Diamond, Ph.D., Professor, Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Tony Fletcher, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Social and Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK Christopher Higgins, PhD, Associate Professor, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA Avery E. Lindeman, MSc, Deputy Director, Green Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA Graham Peaslee, Ph.D., Hartgerink Professor of Chemistry, Chemistry Department, Hope College, Holland, MI, USA Pim de Voogt, Ph.D., Professor, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Zhanyun Wang, Dr. sc., Postdoctoral Fellow, Safety and Environmental Technology Group, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Roland Weber, Ph.D., Chemist, Environmental Consultant, POPs Environmental Consulting, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany

Signatories

Ovokeroye Abafe, Researcher, School of Chemistry and Physics, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa Guillaume Ageorges, Santé Environnement Rhône-Alpes, Chaponost, France Marlene Ågerstrand, PhD, Researcher, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Lutz Ahrens, PhD, Research Scientist, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden Laura Anderko, PhD, Professor, Health Systems and Policy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA David Andrews, PhD, Environmental Working Group, Washington, DC, USA Beatriz H. Aristizabal, PhD, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, National University of Colombia, Manizales, Colombia Abel Arkenbout, PhD, Chairman, ToxicoWatch Foundation, Harlingen, the Netherlands Misha Askren, MD, Physician, Urgent Care, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, California, USA Jannicke Bakkejord, Senior Engineer, National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, Bergen, Norway Julia Bangerter, MA, Junior Campaigner, Greenpeace, Rapperswil-Jona, St. Gallen, Switzerland. Jia Bao, PhD, Assistant Professor, Shenyang University of Technology, Shenyang, Liaoning, China. Andrea Barbarossa, DVM, PhD, Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Ozzano dell’Emilia, Italy Georg Becher, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Exposure and Risk Assessment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway Thea Bechshoft, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark Peter Behnisch, PhD, Director, BioDetection System, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Susanne Bejerot, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden Stephen Bent, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Psychiatry, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA Urs Berger, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Åke Bergman, PhD, Executive Director and Professor, Swedish Toxicology Sciences Research Center, Södertälje, Sweden Vladimir Beškoski, PhD, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia Emmanuelle Bichon, Scientific and Technical Support Manager, Oniris, Nantes-Atlantic College of Veterinary Medicine, Food Science and Engineering, Nantes, France Heather Bischel, PhD, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland Filip Bjurlid, PhD Student, Man– Technology–Environment Research Centre, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden Tara Blank, PhD, Consultant, Elixir Environmental, Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA Daniel Borg, PhD, Toxicology Consultant, Trossa AB, Stockholm, Sweden Katrine Borga, PhD, Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway Carl-Gustaf Bornehag, PhD, Professor, Department of Health and Environment, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden Hindrik Bouwman, PhD, Lecturer, Zoology Group, North-West University, Mahikeng, South Africa Lindsay Bramwell, MSc, Research Associate, Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Knut Breivik, PhD, Senior Scientist and Professor, NILU–Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Kjeller, Norway Katja Broeg, PhD, Researcher, Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Phil Brown, PhD, University Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Health Sciences, and Director, Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Thomas Bruton, MS, PhD Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA Laura Cabrera, PhD, National Core for Neuroethics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada David Camann, MS, Technical Advisor, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA Louise Camenzuli, PhD Student, Safety and Environmental Technology Group, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Elina Carblom, Bachelor in Nutrition, Owner, Rätten att veta, Borlänge, Sweden Argelia Castaño, PhD, Head of Department, Area of Environmental Toxicology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain Carmela Centeno, Industrial Development Officer, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Vienna, Austria Ibrahim Chahoud, PhD, Professor, Department of Toxicology, Charité– Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany Kai Hsien Chi, PhD, Associate Professor, Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan Eliza Chin, MD, MPH, Executive Director, American Medical Women’s Association, Reston, Virginia, USA Carsten Christophersen, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark Theo Colborn (1927–2014), PhD, President Emeritus, TEDX (The Endocrine Disruption Exchange), Paonia, Colorado, USA Terrence J. Collins, PhD, Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; and Director, Institute for Green Science, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Johanna Congleton, MSPH, PhD, Senior Scientist, Environmental Working Group, Washington, DC, US Paul Connett, Ph.D., Director, Fluoride Action Network, Binghamton, New York USA Adrian Covaci, PhD, Professor, Toxicological Center, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium Craig Criddle, PhD, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA Alicia Culver, BS, Responsible Purchasing Network, Lafayette, CA, United States Oscar H. Fernández Cubero, Technician, National Food Center, Majadahonda, Spain Jordi Dachs, PhD, Research Scientist, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Spanish Council for Scientific Research, Barcelona, Spain Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D., Researcher and Writer, Chemistry Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Matthias De Beenhouwer, PhD, University of Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium Cynthia de Wit, PhD, Professor, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Barbara Demeneix, PhD, DSc, Professor, Department RDDM, National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France Pascal Diefenbacher, PhD Student, Safety and Environmental Technology Group, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Michelle Douskey, PhD, Chemistry Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA Timothy Elgren, PhD, Dean of Arts and Sciences, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, USA David Epel, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California, USA Ulrika Eriksson, PhD Student, Man– Technology–Environment Research Centre, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden Alexi Ernstoff, MS, PhD Student, Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark Igor Eulaers, PhD Student, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium Heesoo Eun, PhD, Senior Researcher, Division of Organochemicals, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Tsukuba, Japan Peter Fantke, PhD, Assistant Professor, Quantitative Sustainability Assessment Division, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark Marko Filipovic, FilLic, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Marie Frederiksen, Researcher, Danish Building Research Institute, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, ­Denmark Carey Friedman, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate, Center for Global Change Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Barak Gale, Doctor of Optometry, R etired, S elf Employed, Seattle, Washington, USA Frederic Gallo, PhD, Senior Expert, Regional Activity Center for Sustainable Consumption and Production, Barcelona, Spain Diego Garcia-Bellido, PhD, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia Joseph A. Gardella, Jr, PhD, Distinguished Professor and John and Frances Larkin Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Buffalo–The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA Stephen Gardner, DVM, Veterinarian, Albany Animal Hospital, Richmond, California, USA Caroline Gaus, PhD, Professor, National Centre for Environmental Toxicology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Wouter Gebbink, PhD, Researcher, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden David Gee, PhD, Associate Fellow, Institute of Environment, Health, and Societies, Brunel University, Brunel, United Kingdom Kouadio Kouame Georges, PhD, Ministry of Environment, Urban Sanitation and Sustainable Development, Abidjan, Ivory Coast Philip Germansdefer, DHC Che, MS ChE, Director of International Sales and Marketing, Fluid Management Systems, Inc., Watertown, Massachusetts, USA Bondi Nxuma Gevao, PhD, Research Scientist, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Safat, Kuwait Steven Gilbert, PhD, Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders, Seattle, WA, USA Melissa Gomis, MS, PhD Student, Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Belen Gonzalez, PhD Student, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Spanish Council for Scientific Research, Barcelona, Spain Peter Gringinger, MSc, Principal, Cardno, Sassafras, Victoria, Australia Adam Grochowalski, PhD, Professor, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Krakow University of Technology, Krakow, Poland Ramon Guardans, Scientific Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Madrid, Spain Alexey Gusev, PhD, Senior Scientist, European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme Meteorological Synthesizing Centre–East, Moscow, Russia Arno Gutleb, PhD, Project Leader, Department of Environment and Agro- Biotechnologies, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Belvaux, Luxembourg Emre Gücdemir, Sales and App. Specialist, Tetra Technological Systems Tenzing Gyalpo, PhD Student, Safety and Environmental Technology Group, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Johannes Hädrich, PhD, Head, Research Laboratory, European Union Reference Laboratory for Dioxins and PCBs in Feed and Food, Freiburg, Germany Helen Håkansson, PhD, Professor of Toxicology and Chemicals Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Rolf Halden, PhD, Professor & Director, Center for Environmental Security, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA Tomas Hansson, PhD, Researcher, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Mikael Harju, PhD, Senior Scientist, NILU–Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Tromsø, Norway Stuart Harrad, PhD, Professor of Environmental Chemistry, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom Bernhard Hennig, PhD, Professor of Nutrition and Toxicology, and Director, University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA Marcus Hewitson, MBBS BSc(Med), Doctor of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, ACNEM, Ocean Shores, Australia. Eunha Hoh, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA Sandra Huber, PhD, Senior Researcher, Environmental Chemistry, NILU– Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Tromsø, Norway François Idczak, Direction de la Surveillance de l’Environnement, Institue Scientifique de Service Public (ISSeP), Liege, Belgium Alastair Iles, SJD, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA Ellen Ingre-Khans, MSc, PhD Student, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Alin Constantin Ionas, PhD Candidate, Toxicological Center, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium Griet Jacobs, Researcher, Flemish Institute of Technological Research, Mol, Belgium Annika Jahnke, PhD, Researcher, Department of Cell Toxicology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany Veerle Jaspers, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway Allan Astrup Jensen, PhD, Research Director and CEO, Nipsect, Frederiksberg, Denmark Javier Castro Jimenez, PhD Research Scientist, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Spanish Council for Scientific Research, Barcelona, Spain Ingrid Ericson Jogsten, PhD, Research Scientist, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden Elísabet Heiður Jóhannesdóttir, BA, Student, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland Jon E. Johansen, Dr. Techn., Director, Chiron AS, Trondheim, Norway Niklas Johansson, Senior Consultant, Melica Biologkonsult, Upplands Väsby, Sweden Paula Johnson, Ph.D., M.P.H., Research Scientist, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA Jill Johnston, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA Katerina Kademoglou, MSc, PhD student, Dept. of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Reading, UK Olga-Ioanna Kalantzi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece Anna Kärrman, Ph.D., Associate Professor, MTM Research Center, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden Naila Khalil, MBBS, MPH, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Kettering, Ohio, USA Mohamed Khelif, Ph.D., Pediatrician, Kairuoan, Tunisia Maja Kirkegaard, Ph.D., Cand.Scient., Research Advisory, Head of Chemicals Group, Worldwatch Institute Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark Jana Klanova, Ph.D., Professor, Research Center for Toxic Compounds in the Environment, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic Susan Klosterhaus, PhD, Vice President, Science and Certification, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, San Francisco, California, USA Stephan Köhler, PhD, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden Candice Kollar, LEED A.P., Design Strategist, Kollar Design | EcoCreative, San Francisco, CA, USA Janna G. Koppe, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Neonatology, EKZ/AMC University of Amsterdam, Loenersloot, The Netherlands Ingjerd Sunde Krogseth, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), Tromsø, Norway Kristian Kruse, MS, Ecolabelling Norway, Oslo, Norway Petr Kukucka, Ph.D., Junior Researcher, Research Center for Toxic Compounds in the Environment, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic Perihan Binnur Kurt Karakus, PhD, Associate Professor, Dept. of Environmental Engineering, Bursa Technical University, Bursa, Turkey Henrik Kylin, PhD, Professor, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden Remi Laane, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Environmental Chemistry, University of Amsterdam, Deltares, Voorburg, The Netherlands Jon Sanz Landaluze, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Analytical Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain Le Thi Hai Le, PhD, Department Deputy Director, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ha Noi, Vietnam Jong-Hyeon Lee, PhD, Director, NeoEnBiz, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Marike Martina Leijs, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Dermatology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany Xiaodong Li, PhD, Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China Yifan Li, PhD, Professor, International Joint Research Center for Persistent Toxic Substances, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China Ioannis Liagkoridis, MSc, PhD candidate, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Danuta Ligocka, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Dept. of Toxicology and Carcinogenesis, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź, Poland Margareta Halin Lejonklou, Ph.D., Researcher, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Monica Lind, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Lee Lippincott, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Allied Health Sciences, Mercer County Community College, West Windsor, New Jersey, USA Mariann Lloyd-Smith, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, National Toxics Network, East Ballina, NSW, Australia Karin Löfstrand, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Applied Environmental Science (ITM), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Rainer Lohmann, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA Donald Lucas, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley Lab, Berkeley, CA, USA José Vinicio Macias, Ph.D., Researcher, Autonomous University of Baja California, Baja California, Mexico Laura MacManus-Spencer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Chemistry Department, Union College, Schenectady, NY, USA Vic Madrid, MSc, Environmental Scientist, Environmental Restoration Department, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Livermore, CA, USA Karl Mair, Magister, Senior Environmental Chemist, Eco Research, Bolzano, Italy Govindan Malarvannan, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium Svetlana Malysheva, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Ghent University, Brussels, Belgium Jonathan Martin, Ph.D., Professor, Division of Analytical & Environmental Toxicology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Lisa Mattioli, MSc, Scientist, Dept. of Chemistry, Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Michael McLachlan, Ph.D., Professor, Dept. of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Lisa Melymuk, PhD, Junior Researcher, Research Center for Toxic Compounds in the Environment, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic Annelle Mendez, PhD Student, Safety and Environmental Technology Group, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Tom Muir, MS, Consultant (retired), Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario, Canada Marie Danielle Mulder, PhD Student, Research Center for Toxic Compounds in the Environment, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic Jochen Müller, PhD, Professor, National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Patricia Murphy, ND, LAc, Naturopathic Physician, Portland, Oregon, USA Angel Nadal, PhD, Professor, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, Elche, Spain Takeshi Nakano, PhD, Specially Appointed Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan Amgalan Natsagdorj, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Seth Newton, PhD Student, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Täby, Sweden Carla Ng, PhD, Senior Scientist, Safety and Environmental Technology Group, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Ullhas Nimkar, MSc, NimkarTek Technical Services Pvt Ltd, Thane, India Bo Normander, PhD, Executive Director, Worldwatch Institute Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark Kees Olie, PhD, Retired, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Britton Ranson Olson, PhD, Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie, USA Johanna Alkan Olsson, PhD, Lecturer, Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden Bindu Panikkar, PhD, Research Associate, Arctic Institute of North America, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Richard Peterson, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA Arianna Piersanti, PhD, Lead Chemist, Food of Environmental Control Department, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell-Umbria e dell Marche, Perugia, Italy Merle Plassmann, PhD, Researcher, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Anuschka Polder, PhD, Scientist, Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway Deborah O. Raphael, Director, San Francisco Department of the Environment, San Francisco, California, USA Shay Reicher, PhD, Risk Assessment Director, Ministry of Health, Tel Aviv, Israel Efstathios Reppas-Chrysovitsinos, MEng, PhD Candidate, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Crystal Reul-Chen, DEnv, Senior Environmental Scientist, California Environmental Protection Agency, Sacramento, California, USA Kurt Rhoads, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA David Roberts, PhD, Kenan Professor of Physics, Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA Mary Roberts, PhD, Professor, Merkert Chemistry Center, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA Camilla Rodrigues, PhD, Researcher, Environmental Sanitation Technology Company, San Paulo, Brazil Ignacio Rodriguez, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA Maria Ros Rodriguez, Laboratory Technician, Instituto de Química Orgánica General-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain Ott Roots, Dr sc nat ETH, Director of the Institute/Leading Research Scientist, Estonian Environmental Research Institute, Tallinn, Estonia Christine Rosen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA Ian Ross, PhD, ARCADIS, Manchester, UK Anna Rotander, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Man–Technology– Environment Research Centre, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden; and National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Ruthann Rudel, MS, Director of Research, Silent Spring Institute, Newton, Massachusetts, USA Christina Rudén, PhD, Professor, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Elisabeth Ruffinengo, LLM, Senior advocacy & Project Officer Health and Environment, Women in Europe for a Common Future, Annemasse, France Hillol Sarkar, MSEE, President and CEO, Bioinformatics Department, AgO Synthesis Inc., Lake Forest, California, USA Andreas Béguin Safron, MSc, PhD Candidate, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Amina Salamova, PhD, Research Scientist, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA Samira Salihovic, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Johanna Sandahl, MS, President, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, Stockholm, Sweden Erik Sandell, Consulting Specialist, Nab Labs Oy, Espoo, Finland Andreas Schaeffer, PhD, Institute Director, Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany Julia Schaletzky, PhD, Senior Group Leader, Cytokinetics, South San Francisco, California, USA Arnold Schecter, MD, MPH, Adjunct Professor, University of Louisville, Medical School, Louisville, Kentucky, USA Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, Science Director, Science and Environmental Health Network, Ames, Iowa, USA Margret Schlumpf, Dr sc nat ETH, Co-Director, Group for Reproductive, Endocrine and Environmental Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Peter Schmid, PhD, Senior Scientist, Department of Organic Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing, Dübendorf, Switzerland Lara Schultes, MSc, PhD Student, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Meg Sears, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada Erin Sedlacko, MA, Research Associate, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA Susan Shaw, PhD, Professor, School of Public Health, University at Albany– State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA; and Director, Marine Environmental Research Institute, Blue Hill, Maine, USA Omotayo Sindiku, Research Assistant, Basel Convention Coordinating Center, Ibadan, Nigeria Line Småstuen Haug, PhD, Senior Scientist, Department of Exposure and Risk Assessment, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway Anna Sobek, PhD, Researcher, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Ana Sousa, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal Martin Sperl, Technician, Austria Metall AG, Ranshofen, Austria Barbara Stebbins-Boaz, PhD, A ssociate Professor, Department of Biology, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon, USA Thomas Steiner, PhD, CEO, MonitoringSystems GmbH, Pressbaum, Austria Christine Steinlin, PhD Student, Safety and Environmental Technology Group, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Alex Stone, ScD, Senior Chemist, Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program, Washington State Department of Ecology, Lacey, Washington, USA William Stubbings, PhD Student, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom Roxana Sühring, PhD Student, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Lüneburg, Germany Kimmo Suominen, PhD, Senior Researcher, Finish Food Safety Authority, Risk Assessment Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland Rebecca Sutton, PhD, Senior Scientist, San Francisco Estuary Institute, Richmond, California, USA Joel Svedlund, BSc, Sustainability Manager, Klättermusen AB, Åre, Sweden David Szabo, PhD, Senior Scientist, Research and Development, Reynolds American, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA Öner Tatli, Lab Manager, A&G Pür Analysis Laboratory, Izmir, Turkey Neeta Thacker, MSc, PhD, Former Chief Scientist and Quality Manager, Analytical Instruments Division, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur, India Dien Nguyen Thanh, PhD Student, Environment Preservation Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan Joao Paulo Machado Torres, PhD, Associate Professor, Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Matthew Trass, PhD, Research Scientist, Phenomenex, Torrance, California, USA Theodora Tsongas, PhD, MS, Environmental Health Scientist and Consultant, Portland, Oregon, USA Mary Turyk, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA Anthony C. Tweedale, MS, Consultant, Rebutting Industry Science with Knowledge Consultancy, Eastpointe, Michigan, USA Shahid Ullah, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm Sweden Emma Undeman, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Marta Venier, PhD, Scientist, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA Robin Vestergren, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Environmental Chemistry, NILU–Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Tromsø, Norway Stefan Voorspoels, PhD, Research Manager, Flemish Institute of Technological Research, Mol, Belgium Valerije Vrcek, PhD, Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Shu-Li Wang, PhD, Investigator and Professor, Department of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, National Health Research Institute, Chunan, Miaoli, Taiwan David Warhurst, PhD, DSc, Professor Emeritus, LSHTM, London, UK Glenys Webster, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Developmental Neurosciences and Child Health, Child and Family Research Institute, and Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Larry Weiss, MD, Chief Marketing Officer, AOBiome, LLC, San Francisco, California, USA Philip White, Organics Analyst, Marine Institute, Galway, Ireland Karin Wiberg, PhD, Professor, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden Gayle Windham, PhD, Research Scientist, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Control, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, California, USA Hendrik Wolschke, PhD Student, Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht-Centre for Materials and Coastal Research, Geesthacht, Germany Stephen Wright, Integratect International LLC, Miramar Beach, USA Bo Yuan, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Elena Zaffonato, Organics Analyst, Chelab Sri, Resana Treviso, Italy Lingyan Zhu, PhD, Professor, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, China Robert Zoeller, PhD, Professor, Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

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