Marlene Ågerstrand

Scientists call on better regulation for chemical cocktails in Europe In a policy brief published in Science, scientists call on European Union for a new approach to protect people and nature from the hidden risks of chemical cocktails.

Scientists call on the European Union to protect people and nature from the hidden risks of #chemical cocktails. Every day, all living organisms are potentially exposed to dozens, or even hundreds, of chemicals – from #plastics and #pesticides to #cosmetics.

www.gu.se/en/news/scie...

Scientists Completed a Toxicity Report on This Forever Chemical. The EPA Hasn’t Released It. Agency scientists found that PFNA could cause developmental, liver and reproductive harms. Their final report was ready in mid-April, according to an internal document reviewed by ProPublica, but the ...

This story is about the report that hasn't been published - but it's also about IRIS, the part of EPA that wrote it and has been assessing the toxicity of chemicals for decades.

Of 55 scientists who worked on recent IRIS report, only 8 remain in their posts.

www.propublica.org/article/epa-...

Perceptions matter. Despite an understanding that chemical pollution can affect wildlife behaviour, respondents from industry were more likely to be negative or neutral in their responses to the application of behavioural toxicology to risk assessment compared to those from academia and government.

When science meets politics: Inside the stalled plastics treaty negotiations - Department of Environmental Science This August, delegates from 183 nations gathered in a spacious UN hall in Geneva with a daunting task: to negotiate the world’s first legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. More than 2,600 p...

For the first time since Stockholm Univ. was awarded UN observer status, a researcher (Prado Domercq) attended negotiations on a global treaty to end plastic pollution as part of the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty. @marleneagerstrand.bsky.social
www.su.se/department-o...

Happy to share our new paper on the impacts of corporate capture strategies on human and ecosystem health 🌍

Available Open Access at 👉 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

@dralexford.bsky.social @ipcp.bsky.social @acs.org

New paper from the @ipcp.bsky.social board -

Corporate ‘Capture Strategies’ Impacting Human and Ecosystem Health

We highlight that capture strategies go beyond regulatory capture to include individuals, organisations, governments and intergovernmental meetings
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

We have launched a new section on our website showcasing ECHA’s scientific work – progress on alternatives to animal testing, technical updates in chemical safety, upcoming scientific workshops, etc. Have a look!

🔗fcld.ly/sciencenewsbs

Deadline for submitting to this special issue is the end of September.

Risks of ending US science-policy training Training scientists to engage with policy-makers and pursue careers in public service is among the most effective ways to turn research strength into real-world impact. However, in February, the Trump...

Risks of ending US science-policy training | Science www.science.org/stoken/autho...

Stockholm University has a fantastic research station on Askö in the Trosa archipelago, and this year we went there for our group retreat. 🌿
Grateful for inspiring conversations, shared laughter, and such friendly colleagues – what a perfect mix of nature, community, and research!

Animal behaviour isn’t just fascinating—it also opens up important questions for chemical regulation:
🔍 Which science should inform decision-making?
📊 How do we define population-relevant effects, and which behaviour changes are population-relevant?
✅ How can we increase regulatory uptake?

Happy to hold this book in my hands! As an undergraduate, one of my favourite courses was animal behaviour. However, when I transitioned into chemical regulation, the topic seemed distant—until an unexpected email from @dralexford.bsky.social suggesting a collaboration brought it back into my life.

Your research opportunities in Sweden Do you wish to contribute to the world’s advancement of knowledge in the land of the Nobel Prize? We have gathered information about opportunities for researchers wanting to work in Sweden.

The Swedish Research Council has also put together information aimed at researchers wanting to work in Sweden. Welcome to Sweden!

www.vr.se/english/rese...

Tractor applying pesticide to a barren field. Photo by Bence Balla-Schottner on Unsplash

Breaking #TFA news: The Danish Ministry of the Environment is withdrawing the approval of 23 #pesticides because the products contain active ingredients that can form and leach #TFA into groundwater. This is the first country to ban #PFAS pesticides.

Press release (Danish):
mst.dk/nyheder/2025...

Call For Papers: Nobel Symposium 2025: The Future of Chemical Safety & Sustainable Materials Chemistry | ACS Publications Chemistry Blog This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest innovations in sustainable materials design alongside advances in "Safe and Sustainable by Design" (SSbD) principles. Submit your manuscript by Septembe...

☀️ On vacation, lying in a hammock, thinking about where to publish that paper you’ve been working on?

Please consider submitting to our special issue addressing the Future of Chemical Safety & Sustainable Materials Chemistry.

Submission deadline: September 2, 2025

axial.acs.org/earth-space-...

A split-screen image. The left side shows a rhinoceros mother and calf in a savanna landscape with scattered trees. The right side depicts a forest fire scene with orange flames and silhouetted trees against a dark sky. Text reads: "Biodiversity is in crisis" followed by: "1 million plant and animal species risk extinction Ecosystems are collapsing Misinformation slows progress." "Trust the science. Conserve, restore and sustainably use biodiversity."

‘Biodiversity is not declining’ is a claim you may have heard. But science says otherwise. 📉

The @ipbes.net #GlobalAssessment reveals 1 million plant & animal species are at risk of extinction. Misinformation clouds the crisis.

Rely on trusted research to understand our shared challenges. 🌍🧪

🎉 A Historic Milestone for Science and Policy! 🧪📜

After years of tireless advocacy, collaboration, and global effort, we are thrilled to celebrate the establishment of the "Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution” (ISP-CWP).

www.ipcp.ch/news/punta-d...

Lovely day in the artipelago with colleagues at Stockholm University.

Today we made history.

Countries have come together & agreed the new Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution that will provide the 🌍 with robust, independent science.

Environmental multilateralism delivering again, #ForPeopleForPlanet.

www.unep.org/news-and-sto...

Poison in the water: the town with the world’s worst case of forever chemicals contamination The long read: When a small Swedish town discovered their drinking water contained extremely high levels of Pfas, they had no idea what it would mean for their health and their children’s future

A beautiful, devastating piece about a small Swedish town grappling with severe forever chemical contamination. It’s heartbreaking to watch variations of this story play out over and over. #PFAS www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Philipp Schwartz Initiative The programme allows researchers who are no longer able to work in their own countries because they are threatened or persecuted to continue their work at German universities and research institutions...

If you are a researcher at risk (political persecution) and interested to come to Germany and work in the field of freshwater science or Ecotoxicology - let me know. Good chances of getting a scholarship - details here: www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/apply/spo...

The European Commission suggested it in their Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, and we are now asking them to honour their initial commitment, as no new evidence has emerged against implementing MAF.

Now is the time to start addressing mixtures in REACH, and MAF is a pragmatic, science-based method that enables us to address the fact that we are exposed to numerous chemicals simultaneously.

There is still time to sign and help us reach researchers who have not yet signed, as the deadline for signatures is June 20. After that, the signatures will be sent to the European Commission, as well as to the Ministers for the Environment.

Read our letter here: www.su.se/department-o...

I would like to thank those of you who supported our MAF letter to the European Commission by signing it and distributing the campaign within your networks. We had hoped to get 100 signatures, but we have now received approximately 220!

Sign here: docs.google.com/forms/d/1cbx...

If you want to support this initiative, the International Panel on Chemical Pollution (IPCP) is hosting a sign-on campaign: www.ipcp.ch/news/sign-on...

Scientists defend widely used definition of PFASs - Department of Environmental Science In a new paper published today in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 22 scientists—including Professor Ian Cousins and Associate Professor Marlene Ågerstrand from the Department of Environmen...

In a new paper, 22 scientists—including Professor Ian Cousins and Associate Professor Marlene Ågerstrand at Department of Environmental Science @stockholm-uni.bsky.social —defend the current definition of PFASs established by the OECD. #PFAS #Chemistry
www.su.se/department-o...

📣22 Scientists from @stockholm-uni.bsky.social have written to @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu advocating for a mixture assessment factor to be included in the upcoming #REACHrevision.

They say this is needed to reduce harm from chemical mixtures.

More in our latest #ToxicFree4EU: buff.ly/0b9IKLC

Check out our statement and if you are a PFAS researcher who agrees, you can sign on here: www.ipcp.ch/news/sign-on...

Scientists’ Statement on the Chemical Definition of PFASs You have not visited any articles yet, Please visit some articles to see contents here.

There have been arguments to redefine #PFAS that seem to be politically or economically motivated.
We (20 scientists with PFAS expertise) argue here that the definition of PFAS should be unambiguous and based on chemical structure.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...