COC Workshop - 2023

3.8     The COC held a workshop in November 2023 as a follow up to the one in 2022 which aimed to determine what definitive steps can be undertaken to make progress towards improvement of the chemical risk assessment process and regulatory requirements for carcinogenicity, based on research undertaken over the last 10-20 years. The workshop considered issues in the context of consumer products, building on the considerations from the workshop on pesticides in 2022. The COC was joined at the meeting by representatives of the OPSS Scientific Advisory Group on Chemical Safety of Non-Food and Non-Medicinal Consumer Products (SAG-CS).

3.9     Dr Ruth Dempsey (COC Member and Science Speaks) presented a summary of the key points from the November 2022 workshop. This was followed by a presentation by Ms Frances Hill (OPSS) summarised the current regulatory approach for cosmetics and the responsibilities of industry in conducting cosmetic safety assessment. Ms Emma Meredith (Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA)) then provided a summary of actions taken by industry as animal testing for cosmetic products has been banned in the UK and EU. A presentation was then given by Dr Carl Westmoreland (Unilever) providing illustrative examples of using next generation risk assessment and the aim of health protection rather than prediction of adverse effects. A final presentation from Dr Gina Hilton (PETA Science Consortium International) provided a summary of work undertaken in the Rethinking Carcinogenicity Assessment for Agrochemicals Project (ReCAAP), the development of an integrated approach to testing and assessment (IATA) submitted to the OECD and flagged the need to normalise new approaches to assessing carcinogenicity.

3.10    A number of key questions were then addressed in breakout discussion groups to answer the main theme questions:

•                  What opportunities are there to improve carcinogenic risk assessment in the                        UK?
•                  What is the future of the 2 year / lifetime bioassay?

3.11    The COC will consider the discussions at the two workshops further in 2024.