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Expert workshop on valuing the health impacts of chemicals

11-12 January 2016

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) hosted an Expert workshop on "Valuing the Health Impacts of Chemicals" that took place on 11 and 12 January 2016 in Helsinki, ECHA. The purpose of the workshop was to present and discuss state-of-the-art studies that elicit willingness-to-pay (WTP) values for health endpoints associated with exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Twelve presentations with novel findings related to a broad array of SEA-related topics were made by researchers from the EU and North America to about 40 participants. Topics included: i) estimated willingness-to-pay (WTP) values for various health endpoints, ii) discounting and latency effects, iii) valuing the loss of health quality due to exposure to chemicals, iv) communicating small risks to survey respondents, dread premiums, and v) the comparison of WTP values elicited by different stated-preference methods. Further, Arnd Hoeveler (HoU of DG Research and Innovation) informed about current and future funding.

Programme

Presentations

Session 1 - ECHA Study on valuing health endpoints related to chemicals exposure

  • The Benefits of Avoiding Cancer: Evidence from a Four-country Study by Anna Alberini  Presentation [PDF]
  • The ECHA Study on fertility, birth defects, and developmental toxicity: How Much Are Improving Fertility and Reducing Risk of Birth Defects Worth? by Milan Ščasný  Presentation [PDF]
  • Stated-preference study to examine the economic value of benefits of avoiding selected adverse human health outcomes due to exposure to chemicals in the European Union. Part I - Sensitization & Dose Toxicity by Vojtěch Máca  Presentation [PDF]
  • ECHA study on valuing health endpoints related to chemicals exposure: What to make of the numbers? – Discussion of Session 1 by Richard Dubourg   Presentation [PDF]

Session 2 - Valuation: welfare theory vs empirical research

  • Baseline Risk and Marginal Willingness to Pay for Health Risk Reduction by Shelby Gerking  Presentation [PDF]
  • Variable discount rates and non-standard discounting in mortality risk valuation by Rebecca McDonald  Presentation [PDF]
  • Valuing Health Risks: Monetary & Health-Utility Measures by James Hammitt  Presentation [PDF]
  • Valuation: welfare theory vs empirical research – Discussion of Session 2 by Christoph Rheinberger   Presentation [PDF]

Session 3 - Research on valuing health endpoints: past, present and future

  • OECD research agenda 2016-2018 by Nils-Axel Braathen   Presentation [PDF]
  • EU research agenda 2015 onward by Arndt Hoeveler  Presentation [PDF]

Session 4 - Regulatory impact assessments

  • Burden of Disease and Costs of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the European Union by Leonardo Trasande  Presentation [PDF]
  • Health economic costs of diabetes and bone fractures caused by exposure to chemicals by Lars Drake  Presentation [PDF]
  • Regulatory impact assessments – Discussion of Session 4 by Jukka Peltola   Presentation [PDF]

Session 5 - Risk, perception and valuation

  • Scope Sensitivity Tests in CV and DCE: An Application using WTP for Mortality and Morbidity Risk Reductions by Henrik Andersson  Presentation [PDF]
  • The Value of Reducing Children's Exposure to Lead (Pb). A stated preference approach by Joel Atherton  Presentation [PDF]
  • Dread and Latency Impacts on a VSL for Cancer Risk Reductions by Susan Chilton  Presentation [PDF]
  • Comments on the papers in the Session 5 – Discussion of Session 5 by Anna Alberini  Presentation [PDF]
  • Conclusions and way forward by Christoph Rheinberger  Presentation [PDF]

Paticipants

Approximately 45 persons, mainly the researchers from the EU and North America, accredited stakeholder organisations, the European Commission and ECHA (Risk Management Implementation unit) attended the Workshop.

Contact

For questions about the Workshop, please contact: Christoph.RHEINBERGER[at]echa.europa.eu