Dr Carol Courage is a toxicological risk assessor in the Quantitative Hazard Assessment Department of the Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre (SEAC), at Unilever. Her responsibilities include assessing the toxicological safety of Unilever products and developing new and innovative ways of conducting risk assessments. In her previous position as a senior toxicologist in the Toxicology and Risk Assessment Group at the MRC Institute for Environment and Health, Dr Courage was responsible for the management of numerous risk assessment projects pertinent to the environment and health. She also provided the scientific Secretariat to the Interdepartmental Group on Health Risk from Chemicals (an informal group made up of representatives of all the main government agencies and departments). Dr Courage has an honours BSc degree in pharmacology and a PhD in neurotoxicology. She is currently a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and secretary to the RSC OETG. Dr Courage is also a committee member of the Scientific Sub-Committee of the British Toxicological Society.
Ms Kate Jones BSc MPhil CChem MRSC
Secretary
Kate Jones is an analytical chemist working as a senior scientist for the Health & Safety Laboratory. She has wide experience and expertise in the biological monitoring of organic compounds, this includes skills in: the use of specialist analytical techniques and instrumentation such as GC, GC-MS, HPLC and LC-MS; method development; toxicology; and gaining approval for and running human volunteer studies. As a senior scientist Kate has responsibility for undertaking her own research, supervising the research of others and organising the day-to-day running of the Biological Monitoring laboratory, ensuring that work is completed to stringent quality standards within the requisite turnaround times. She also has management responsibility for the sample reception office.
Mr D Hart BSc MRSC
Treasurer
Mr Hart spent the first 22 years of his career working for ICI, 17 years in their Central Toxicology Laboratory, working on a variety of studies primarily concerned with carcinogenicity and reproductive toxicity. More recently he has worked for two years as a toxicology advisor in an ICI business and then in a corporate role concerned with hazard communication safety data sheets etc. He then spent six year in a product regulatory role for a US based speciality chemical company (Morton International), before joining National Starch & Chemical (part of the ICI Group) in 1999, as a product regulatory manager, responsible for several polymer based businesses, covering industrial, food contact, coatings, water treatment and personal care products.
Dr Andrew Smith BSc CChem FRSC
Dr Smith is a molecular toxicologist with research interests in environmental chemicals. In particular, he is interested in genetically variable mechanisms of how chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated dioxins interact with iron homeostasis to cause malfunctions of haem metabolism and tumours. Dr Smith also has interests in the risk assessment of chlorinated insecticides like DDT and in the use of genetics and toxicogenomics in toxicology studies. He is currently head of the Genetic Susceptibility Group at the Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit, Leicester University and Honorary Lecturer in Pathology. Previous to joining the MRC, Dr Smith studied and worked in the biochemistry and chemistry departments of the Universities of Liverpool and Glasgow (respectively) on sterol metabolism in marine biochemistry and in human atherosclerosis.
Dr Derek Knight CSci CChem FRSC
Dr Derek J Knight is the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Safepharm Laboratories Ltd, a leading UK contract research organisation specialising in safety assessment of chemicals, biocides & agrochemical pesticides. He heads a team of regulatory affairs professionals who deal with a wide range of registration projects covering many product types for regulatory compliance in all the key markets globally. As such he has gained an overall perspective into commercial issues associated with the regulation of the biocides & chemicals industry. His doctoral studies at the University of Oxford were in organo-sulphur chemistry.
Mr George Kowalczyk BSc MSc CChem FRSC
George is based in Manchester and is now a member of the Health Protection Agency’s Regional Health Emergency Planning Function in the North West. He previously worked as scientific adviser at the Department of Health in London, working on mainly health and toxicological issues associated with landfills, incinerators, contaminated land and drinking water quality. Prior to that he was, for over a decade, the head of the Toxicology Unit within British Coal‘s Occupational Health Service.
Currently, as Deputy Regional Health Emergency Planning Advisor, he contributes to the emergency preparedness and resilience across the whole NHS network in the North West. This involves auditing and performance management roles, facilitating the sharing of best practice, developing exercises and training initiatives to assist in the emergency response and recovery from incidents. Additionally he provides toxicological input to assist in the regional response to chemical incidents and health protection in respect of exposure to hazardous substances.
Dr John Hoskins CChem FRSC
Dr Hoskins is an independent consultant toxicologist specialising in occupational hygiene with particular reference to asbestos. Previously he had been a scientific staff member of the Medical Research Council but took early retirement from the MRC to develop his current work. He first joined the MRC at a unit in Sheffield and then later transferred to the Toxicology Unit in Carshalton, now relocated to the University of Leicester. In the MRC Toxicology Unit he latterly worked on the toxicity of mineral fibres and particulates and was in charge of the Unit’s inhalation facilities.
Dr John Maclachlan BSc CSci CChem FRSC
Dr John MacLachlan is currently a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Glasgow Caledonian University, with teaching and research interests in the analytical chemistry aspects of environmental chemistry and toxicology. Specific research interests include the use of GC-MS and LC-MS (as appropriate) in the trace analysis of steroids in body fluids, and environmental pesticides and VOC’s. Also he has research interests in the pedagogical aspects of science teaching. He is Chair of the “Science” Suite of BSc (Hons) Programme Board and Assessment Board. Also, he is a member of the Scottish Regional Analytical Division Committee of the RSC and an RSC journal referee.
Dr Paul Illing BSc MSc CSci CChem FRSC
Dr Illing is currently a self-employed consultant in toxicology, microbiology and risk assessment for occupational health, product and process safety and environmental pollution and Principal of Paul Illing Consultancy Services. He is also an Honorary Lecturer in the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Manchester, and occasionally lectures at University of Birmingham and University of Surrey. Currently, he is Royal Society of Chemistry representative on the UK Government Chemicals Stakeholder Forum.
