In this episode I am joined by Peter Fisk, founder of Green Chemical Design Ltd, and formerly of Peter Fisk Associates (now Vitis Regulatory).

Peter talks about his extensive career journey, and gives an honest appraisal of the evolution and current state of chemicals management in Europe.

Our discussion covers a lot of ground, including:

• Peter's early career and interests as a scientist
• Making the switch to consultancy and starting a business
• The advent of the REACH regulation and the transformation of chemicals management in Europe
• How interactions between regulators and industry have changed over time
• Unifying qualities of regulatory scientists
• Challenges with the implementation of REACH: on read-across, QSARs, testing costs, bureaucracy, and the speed of regulatory processes
• Hazard assessment vs risk assessment
• REACH for polymers
• Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD)
• The challenge of assessing complex substances (UVCBs) and the progress made by the oil industry
• Opportunities and challenges with green chemistry and chemical substitution
• The potential of Hansen Solubility Parameters as a tool to evaluate chemical hazards
• Remembering Steve Robertson
• Ethical concerns with fish testing and regulatory box-ticking
• Praise for the REACH registered substances database
• The extreme persistence of PFAS and their impact on other chemistries

Peter has accrued a huge amount of knowledge and wisdom during his career. If you're interested in learning from his experience, this one is not to be missed!

Green Chemical Design - Together we can do even better chemistry

In Memoriam: Stephen (Steve) Michael Robertson (1949–2023)