On May 27, 2019, a special session addressing value judgements in science will take place during the SETAC Europe 29th Annual Meeting in Helsinki, Finland. As summarized in an article published in the SETAC Globe on May 9, 2019, the session will “investigate with the speakers and the audience the role philosophical positions and values might play in scientifically diverging views” on the example of the two issues that are currently “hotly debated in the scientific community – the use of pesticides and the risk posed by food contact chemicals.”
The session, co-chaired by Annegaaike Leopold from the Calidris Environment b.v., Charmaine Ajao from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and Thomas-Benjamin Seiler from the RWTH Aachen University, will feature a diverse set of speakers who will give presentations and participate in an open discussion panel. The food contact materials topic will be debated by Jane Muncke from the Food Packaging Forum, Thomas Gude from the Swiss Quality Testing Services (SQTS), and Claudia Roncancio Pena from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
SETAC stands for Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. It strives to achieve “environmental quality through science” and lists “multidisciplinary approaches to solving environmental problems,” “balance between academia, business, government,” and “science-based objectivity” as its founding principles.
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Leopold A., Ajao C., Seiler T.-B. (2019). “Your science or my science? When the sides taken on a research topic are affected by different philosophical positions and values.” SETAC Globe 20 (published May 9, 2019).
