Uppsala Health Summit 2023: Addressing Chemical Pollution and Environmental Challenges

150 international experts have been invited to shed light on and discuss the role of environmental toxins in what is known as the "triple crisis" that the world is currently facing, characterized by rapid climate change, loss of biodiversity and the impact of chemicals. The summit is organized by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala University, the Swedish Medical Products Agency, Örebro University, Region Uppsala, Uppsala Municipality, and the National Veterinary Institute (SVA).

Nine thematic workshops are planned during the summit, covering topics such as chemical testing, monitoring methods for chemical exposure and risk assessment of pollution in water, animal feed and food.

The meeting will contribute concrete proposals and recommendations to ongoing policy processes within the EU and the UN. Therefore, there is a special focus on the global plastic agreement that is currently under negotiation and the international scientific-policy panel for chemical and waste management developed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Speakers in the plenary sessions (which are available via broadcasts) include  Baskut Tuncak, Professor from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA, and former UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and toxic substances, Dr. Leo Trasande, Professor and Director of the Department of Pediatrics at New York University's School of Medicine, Dr. Sharon McGuinness, the Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and Dr. Sinaia Netanyahu, Program Manager at the World Health Organization's (WHO) European Environmental Health Division.

Alongside the summit, a report will be released, offering an overview of the current challenges and outlining the essential changes needed to mitigate and reduce the damages caused by chemicals and other environmental toxins. The report can be downloaded from the Uppsala Health Summit website.