An international research consortium, including MANTRA colleague Dana Kühnel, has developed new recommendations for dealing with chemicals, microplastics, and other so-called “novel substances.” The researchers advocate for a realistic and scientifically sound approach to chemicals management.
The starting point is the recognition that the frequently called-for target of completely avoiding releases (“zero”) is virtually impossible to achieve in practice. While novel substances may pose risks to the environment and human health, many of them are indispensable in industry, medicine, agriculture, and everyday life. Instead of focusing on unrealistic zero-emission targets, the authors propose a new framework for action that effectively limits risks while also taking into account the societal benefits of chemicals.
The recommendations were published in the journal *Environmental Science & Technology*.
Publication:
- Annika Jahnke, Yuge Bai, Werner Brack, Bethanie Carney Almroth, Miriam L. Diamond, Anna Lia S. Tromer Dragsdahl, Beate I. Escher, Peter Fantke, Dana Kühnel, Matthew MacLeod, Ad M. J. Ragas, Boris Sakschewski, Christian Schmidt, Volker Strauss, Gabriele Treu, Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez, Zhanyun Wang, Katrin Wendt-Potthoff, Marlene Ågerstrand, and Levke Caesar. Environmental Science & Technology 2026 60 (28), 19761-19770. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6c03044
