Check back for our latest environmental risk and regulatory updates and resources:

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Smithers expert Rory Mumford will chair a session at the ACS Fall 2025 National Meeting & Exposition, August 17-21, in Washington, DC. Contact us to schedule a discussion with Renee Hahne or Kalumbu Malekani during the conference. 

Smithers Environmental Fate scientists have developed a suite of tests that meet the requirements for the ECHA/EFSA “Guidance document on the impact of water treatment processes on residues of active substances or their metabolites in water abstracted for the production of drinking water.” Testing is required, starting April 1, 2026, for active substances in Biocides and Plant Protection Products. Learn more.

Arthur Putt and Dr. Craig Draper will attend the Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) in Switzerland, October 23-25, booth 143. Contact us to learn more about our biopesticide testing services

Algae Lab Expansion: Our upgraded ecotox algae lab offers clients enhanced algae testing capabilities with greater efficiency, reliability, and capacity

New chemistry webinar: Smithers experts Phil Rooney, Sidney Bluemink, and Mitch Kelly describe practical chemistry strategies for reliably assessing “difficult to test” substances in environmental risk assessments, with a focus on OECD Guidance Document 23. Watch the recording and read responses to questions asked during the audience Q&A.

Smithers experts Dr. Michael Patnaude and Ashlee Kirkwood explain how Estimated Environmental Concentration (EEC) rates in microbial pesticide testing may impact regulatory risk assessments. Read the article or download the PDF.

Smithers exhibited at ChemUK, Birmingham, UK, May21-22. 

Smithers exhibited at SETAC Europe Annual Meeting in Vienna. Download the poster presentations:

• Suspect Screening and Non-Target Transformation Product Identification in Samples Derived from Drinking Water Treatment Processes  Authors: Rory Mumford, Daniel Evans, Christopher Kirkman
• An Extended Amphibian Metamorphosis Assay (EAMA) with the reference compound Propylthiouracil (PTU) Authors: Joseph Marini, Brianna Burley
• Using a consistent framework improves confidence in Pharmaceutical Environmental Risk Assessment  Co-author: Sharon Swales, Ph.D
• Investigation into Reference Substance Degradation Rates in OECD 309 Tests Authors: Des Kelly, Daniel Evans

Webinar recording now available: Maegan Teets, Biologist, presented "Exploring the Essential Ecotoxicology Tests for Environmental Risk Assessment" as part of the ACS AGRO Lunch&Learn webinar series.  View the recording and read responses to questions asked during the audience Q&A.

Endocrine Disruptor Testing Webinar Series: Practical Insights and Refinements in LAGDA and MEOGRT

• View the recording: The Future of High-Tier Amphibian Testing – Navigating Challenges and Exploring Advancements in the Larval Amphibian Growth and Development Assay (LAGDA)  Read responses to questions asked during the LAGDA audience Q&A.
• View the recording: Navigating the Challenges of the Medaka Extended One Generation Reproduction Test (MEOGRT)  Read responses to questions asked during the MEOGRT audience Q&A.

Renee Hahne and Kalumbu Malekani attended CropLife America, April 23-25, in Arlington, VA.

Lee Sayers attended GlobalChem, April 14-16 in Washington, DC.

Smithers exhibited at the BPIA 2025 Annual Meeting, March 31 - April 3 in Sacramento, CA. Learn more about our biopesticide testing portfolio and the opening of our BSL-2 compliant microbiology laboratory. 

Smithers has appointed Phil Rooney as Director of Chemistry, Environmental Risk Sciences, Europe. Read the news release.

Smithers promoted Duncan Brown to Associate Director at Reschem, a Smithers company. Read the news release.  

Smithers exhibited at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) meeting in Orlando, March 17-19, 2025.

Residue Chemistry webinar available on demand: Derek Brown, Director at ResChem, presented "Developing a Residue Analytical Method: The Critical Role of Extraction Efficiency," an overview of the key method development stages when developing a residue analytical method. Watch the webinar here.  Read responses to questions asked during the audience Q&A here.

Smithers exhibited at the NAICC Annual Meeting in Monterey, January 22-24, 2025.

Smithers Enhances Residue Chemistry Studies with Advanced Sciex QTRAP 6500+ LC-MS/MS System.  View the news release. 

Smithers Announces Expansion of Microbial Pesticide Testing with New BSL-2 Compliant Laboratory for Increased Biopesticide Testing Capacity. View the news release.

Smithers exhibited at the SETAC North America 45th Annual Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas. View the presentation abstract and download the posters:

• Review of non-target insect (honey bees) test methods for assessing effects of microbial pesticides
• The Fate of 6PPD-quinone in Soil and Water-Sediment Systems using a 14C Radiotracer
• The bioaccumulation and metabolism of 6PPD-quinone in Rainbow Trout

Tracey Goodband, Smithers Senior Manager, Ecotoxicology, Harrogate, co-authored the article, “Resource and animal use implications of the proposed REACH information requirements for endocrine disruptor assessment,” published in Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. Read the abstract and link to the full article.

The EMA issued a new Guideline for the Environmental Risk Assessment of pharmaceuticals that expands the scope of testing. Key changes to the prior guideline include the introduction of the specific assessment for Endocrine Disrupting Substances (ED), Antimicrobials (AM), and Antiparasitics (AP), and a strengthening of the Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic (PBT) assessment. A summary workflow and decision tree is available for download.

Webinar available on demand: Dr. Charles Nyamekye gives a review on 5-batch preliminary testing and method requirements and highlight strategies developed and lessons learned to overcome the challenges faced in registering different types of products with global regulatory bodies. Watch the webinar.  
You can read responses to questions asked during the audience Q&A here.

Smithers scientists presented during the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting,  5-9 May 2024, in Seville, Spain. Download the posters:

• Evaluation of Positive Control Substrates for the OECD319 In Vitro Rainbow Trout Bioaccumulation Estimation Studies
• High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Solutions to the Challenge of Non-Target Transformation Product Identification Presented by the 2023 EFSA Drinking Water Guidance Document 
• The Fate of 6PPD-quinone in Soil and Water-Sediment Systems using a 14C Radiotracer

Webinar available on demand: Ecotoxicology expert Dr. Michael Patnaude provides an overview of the commonly used terrestrial non-target species available for biological products following the 885.4340 guideline.  He discusses the unique challenges in testing such as delivery methods, storage, multiple preparations, and duration. View the webinar on-demand. You can read responses to questions asked during the audience Q&A here.

Dr. Kalumbu Malekani attended the ACS Spring meeting in New Orleans. He chaired symposiums on the topic of "Addressing Emerging Contaminants in Food and the Environment Through Remediation, Sensing and Replacement Innovations". View the full list of presentations in this symposium.

QuEChERS: Beyond Convention 
Read the series of articles from expert Sidney Bluemink using the links below or download the PDF.
Part 1 discusses the wide-ranging application of QuEChERS and its variants.
Part 2 decribes the core QuEChERS approach and the benefits and drawbacks of this powerful methodology.
Part 3 covers the varied application of QuEChERSER.
Part 4 discusses some of the more specialized QuEChERS methods including QuPPe (Quick Polar Pesticides) and QuOil.

2023 SETAC North America Poster Presentations
Smithers presented at the SETAC North America Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. Dowload the posters.

Webinar now available on-demand: Navigating Sample Complexity in Residue Analysis - Strategies and Innovations for Accurate and Reliable Results
Expert Sidney Bluemink describes the challenges presented when working with a variety of complex sample matrices. View the recording.
Read Sidney's answers to questions asked during the Q&A session of the webinar.

Sean McLaughlin, Research Director, presented on biodegradation test designs at the Personal Care Products Council Science Symposium, October 24, in Arlington, VA. Contact us to learn more about biodegradation studies.

2023 ACS Fall Meeting - Smithers Presentations
Smithers Environmental Fate & Metabolism and Chemistry scientists chaired symposiums and presented at the ACS National Meeting. View the list of presentations. 

How to Select Crops for Plant Metabolism and Confined Rotation Crop Studies
Sean McLaughlin, Research Director, Environmental Fate and Metabolism, North America, describes the criteria and steps involved in crop selection for plant metabolism and confined rotation crop studies.

SETAC Europe Dublin: View session highlights from our team:

• Regulatory Assessment of Endocrine Disruption
• Bioaccumulation Science
• Endocrine Disrupting Properties Ecotoxicology Seminar

Now available on-demand – Webinar: SANTE Method Validations – Evolving Analytical Strategies
Smithers Study Director Andrea McGuinness provides a review of SANTE/2020/12830 rev. 1 and highlights strategies developed and lessons learned through its continued use in producing SANTE-compliant analytical method validations. Hear about ongoing challenges presented by this guidance document, and what to expect from the recent update to rev. 2. Watch the recording.  See her responses tp audience Q&A.

Smithers scientists presented during the SETAC Europe 33rd Annual Meeting, 30 April – 4 May 2023, in Dublin, Ireland.
View the list of topics. Posters are available for downloading. 

Now available on-demand: Webinar - Testing Strategies to Assess Persistence of Chemicals in the Environment Environmental Fate experts Sean McLaughlin and Sara Bennett describe the different types of testing and how to select an appropriate testing strategy based on a chemical’s structure, physico-chemical properties and potential environmental behavior. 

Smithers is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Bradley as Director of Ecotoxicology in the Wareham, Massachusetts facility. Read the press release. 

Smithers is pleased to announce the appointment of Gus Zieske as Vice President, North America, Environmental Risk Sciences Division. Read the press release.

Smithers Acquires ResChem Analytical Limited - Read the press release

In our 2023 article series "The Environmental Science & Regulatory Landscape," Dr. Kalumbu Malekani explored trends and salient topics in environmental and regulatory science: 

• Perspectives on the Role and Importance of Scientific Societies offers insight into the evolution of scientific societies and their role in shaping today’s advances in environmental science.
• Get to Know Our Experts – Spotlight on ACS Fall AGRO Symposium - hear from experts Jim Ferguson and Rory Mumford, about their symposium at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall Meeting in San Francisco, and the impact their work has made on the field of environmental science.
• Highlights from Biologicals-focused Annual Meetings - highlights from the recent Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA) and the Microbiome Movement Agbiotech annual meetings.
• Spotlight on Endocrine Disruption Testing with Joseph Marini, Senior Research Biologist -hear from Joe Marini about his poster and platform presentations at the SETAC Europe 33rd Annual Meeting.
• EFSA/ECHA Guidance on the impact of drinking water treatment processes - update on the new guidance document on the impact of water treatment processes on residues of active substances (AS) or their metabolites.
• Spotlight on Analytical Chemistry with Andrea McGuinness - hear from Andrea McGuinness, Senior Chemist and Study Director, about her presentation at the ACS Fall Meeting in San Francisco. Watch the interview.
• Spotlight on Terrestrial Ecotoxicology with Dr. Michael Patnaude - hear from Dr. Michael Patnaude, Senior Research Biologist and Study Director, about his webinar on approaches to terrestrial non-target arthropod testing for biological pesticides and the considerations clients should be aware of when conducting an ecotoxicology study. Watch the interview.
• Spotlight on Residue Chemistry with Sidney Bluemink - hear from Sidney Bluemink, Study Director, about his webinar "Navigating Sample Complexity in Residue Analysis" and new QuEChERS article, and his thoughts about future developments in the field of chemistry.
• Highlights from Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM)  -  highlights from the 2023 Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) held in Basel, Switzerland.