Latest News

ToxStrategies has been granted a worldwide license, exclusive in North America, to the University of Minnesota’s Food Protection and Defense Institute’s (FPDI) food defense and intentional adulteration rule instructor-led curriculum. FPDI is an Emeritus Homeland Security Center of Excellence. The premier offering is the Intentional Adulteration Rule Food Defense Plan Essentials which facilitates practice sessions for all four IA Rule roles requiring food defense Qualified Individuals. The course provides the convenience of a single, comprehensive instructor-led class read more…

ToxStrategies scientist Dr. Rayetta Henderson was among the authors of a poster for the 32nd Annual Symposium of the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS), a hybrid meeting based in Galway, Ireland, held on June 25–30, 2022. The poster, titled, “Pre-Clinical Evaluation of Cannabidiol Toxicity in Rats,” summarized the toxicology testing program led by Dr. Henderson and other ToxStrategies staff. The study design and outcome of 14- and 90-day repeat-dose oral toxicity, genotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity studies read more…

Several EpidStrategies scientists are among the collaborating authors of seven new studies on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) published in a special supplement to the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The authors include Ms. Mina Suh, Ms. Naimisha Movva, Ms. Xiaohui Jiang, Ms. Heidi Reichert, and Ms. Lauren Bylsma, and the studies describe the morbidity and mortality burden of RSV among US-born infants and children under 5 years old. RSV affects nearly all infants and children <5 read more…

The ToxStrategies team is pleased to announce the addition of Ms. Amy Sheppard to our Food and Consumer Products practice. Ms. Sheppard has held increasingly responsible positions with multiple global consumer product manufacturers during her 30-year career, the latter third of which she spent with SC Johnson. Her roles have ranged from a summer intern to practicing scientist in product safety to middle and senior management positions, and her experience includes the use of data-driven read more…

ToxStrategies senior consultant and food defense expert Dr. Jennifer van de Ligt joined a specialized panel to discuss food fraud and defense as a part of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Health Talks series. Intentional adulteration of food affects consumers globally—it’s estimated that about 10% of a typical consumer’s purchased food is affected. Food defense strives to protect the food supply, whether the adulteration was intended to harm people or not. Food fraud, the most read more…

ToxStrategies scientists Ann Verwiel, LeeAnn Racz, Liz Mittal, and William Rish have published an article titled, “CDC’s National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals” in SETAC Globe, the organization’s monthly newsletter. The CDC’s report provides statistical summaries of biomonitoring data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The authors provide examples of how various risk assessors have used the NHANES data to better understand whether their study population experiences read more…

The Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology recently awarded its Scientific Achievement Award to ToxStrategies Senior Consultant Dr. John Rogers. The Section presents this award annually to recognize a member’s lifetime contribution to the field of reproductive and developmental toxicology, including such factors as leadership, impact on the field, and mentorship. In presenting the award during the Section’s annual meeting, held virtually on May 3, Dr. Atlee Watson recognized Dr. read more…

ToxStrategies’ Senior Engineer/Industrial Hygienist Dr. LeeAnn Racz spoke on the topic of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), delivering a keynote address to the National Conference of the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals in March 2022. The widespread use of PFAS in many products and processes (e.g., electronics, textiles, lubricants, cookware, firefighting foams, and carpeting, to name a few) has resulted in global proliferation of these chemicals. The chemical and physical properties of PFAS vary widely, read more…