CONDUCTING SYMPOSIA AND CONFERENCES

2009

In accordance with Agreement No. SB-81 between the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) and Research Institute of Hygiene, Toxicology and Occupational Pathology (RIHTOP), the international research workshop on “Production and application of nanomaterials in Russia: toxicological, exposure and regulatory issues” was held in Moscow. The meetings were held in a Marriott Tverskaya Hotel meeting room on 15 – 16 September 2009. The purpose of the workshop was to provide an exchange of research and development information as well as to address risk assessment and safety control issues related to nanotechnology development in Russia. The International Science and Technology Center (ISTC), Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA), and Research Institute of Hygiene, Toxicology and Occupational Pathology (RIHTOP) acted as organizers of the workshop. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) acted as a workshop sponsor.

More than 70 researchers, specialists and federal agencies representatives from Russia, the USA and CIS countries occupied in the sphere of nanomaterials safety participated in the workshop. The workshop meetings were carried out in the framework of three topic sessions – legislative regulation of nanomaterials manufacturing and application; toxicity assessment of nanomaterials; nanotechnology and human health and environmental safety. A total of 25 reports were heard during the workshop.

2007

The International Seminar on Prevention and Liquidation of Consequences from Chemical Terrorist and Industrial Emergencies was organized jointly by the ISTC and RIHTOP. The Seminar was held in St.-Petersburg, from 18 to 20 September, in the conference hall "Blue" of the Hotel "October", in accordance with the workplan of the ISTC-RIHTOP Treaty. The Seminar was attended by more than 70 scientists, experts and representatives of Federal Agencies from Russia, Kirgizia, Tadzhikistan, USA, Canada, Great Britain, Netherlands, Chesh Republic. The working groups involved the experts dealing with general problems of decontamination and the development of scientifically based decontamination standards.

The delegation members from the RIHTOP such as V.V. Klauchek, Deputy Director, A.A. Konchin, senior research associate of the Clinical Department, and I.B. Taltaeva, engineer from the office of quality assurance, took part in the work of the International Seminar on Bioethic. The Seminar was organized by the American Foundation for Civil Research and Development and held in Moscow from 5 to 7 March 2007.

B.N. Filatov, Director of the RIHTOP and M.N. Ignatenko, Head of International Projects Office attended the Review Conference that was held at the Center of Ecological Research and Biological Resources Development in the town Pushhino, from 20 to 21 October 2007. The purpose of the conference was to discuss the subject and to make recommendations for the further cooperation in the areas such as health, biotechnology, biological safety, stable research development and support to basic scientific and research institutes.

2006

According to the agreement between the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) and Research Institute of Hygiene, Toxicology and Occupational Pathology at Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FSUE “RIHTOP” FMBA Russia) an international workshop on decontamination was held in Moscow, Russia titled “Decontamination of Buildings and Facilities after Chemical Terrorism”. Workshop sessions were held on September 11 and 13, 2006 in the Paveletsky Conference Center.

Over 60 scientists, specialists and representatives of federal agencies took part in the workshop. All the participants were experts on decontamination problems as a whole and on development of scientifically established standards of decontamination in particular.
  1. Russia
    • Research Institute of Hygiene, Toxicology and Occupational Pathology
    • Volgograd Municipal Rescue Service
    • JSC Design and Exploration Institute "VolgogradProject"
    • Volgagrad City's Major Office
    • Science Research and Engineering Center "Synthesis"
    • Federal Medical and Biology Agency
    • Research Institute “Medstatistic”
    • International Projects Center at Federal Ministry of Natural Resources
    • Russian Science and Research Center for Emergencies
    • Russian Register of Potentially Hazardous Chemical and Biological Substances
    • Chemical Diversity Research Institute
    • International Science and Technology Center
    • Canada Embassy
    • British Embassy
    • Mendeleyev Chemical and Technology University
    • JSC Kaprolaktam-Dzerzhinsk
    • Institute of Toxicology
    • Research Institute of Hygiene, Occupational Pathology and Human Ecology
    • LLC Science and Production Center for Ecological Monitoring "RACEM"


    Canada

    • Defense Research and Development Canada
    • Environment Canada
    • Health Canada
    • Queen's University
    • Royal Military College


    USA

    • Environment Protection Agency (USEPA)
    • Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS/BTEP)


    Great Britain

    • Defense Science and Technology Laboratory
    • UK Government Decontamination Service


    Czech Republic

    • University of Technology


    Poland

    • Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine

The Workshop sponsor was International Science and Technology Center (ISTC, Moscow, Russia). The ISTC representative Leo Owsiacki presented the report about ISTC’s Global Security and Counter-Terrorism Programmatic Approach.

Holding of the given workshop is one of the steps in collaborative research project with participation of the RIHTOP and Canada Environmental Protection Agency; the project is devoted to development of the scientifically-grounded standards of surfaces decontamination after chemical terrorist acts. The project is a part of the large international program «Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Research and Technology Initiative».

Workshop consisted of four thematic sessions.

The first sessions were devoted to research program on chemical decontamination. The presentations and discussions of this session addressed the following questions:

  • Overview of Environment Canada’s Decontamination Projects
  • Development of the Toxic Chemical Registry to Help Establish Decontamination Standards
  • US EPA Research Program on the Disposal of Wastes from Decontamination Activities
  • Level of Knowledge about Chemicals Included in the List. Immediate Tasks for Research
  • Personal Protective Equipment: Setting the Maximum Concentration Limits for Chemical Decontamination

More specific and practical decontamination aspects directly concerning future joint work were discussed at the second session. These included: review of current ways and techniques of decontamination of chemical/biological agents.

The discussions were devoted to following issues:

  • Development of portable systems for building decontamination
  • Chemical Decontamination of a Governmental Research Laboratory Contaminated by Arsenic after an Accidental Explosion and Fire
  • Field Demonstration of Building Decontamination Technologies
  • New Methodology for the Decomposition of CW Agents: Highly Efficient Catalysis of the Alcoholysis of Phosphate and Phosphonate Esters
  • Decontamination of Vesicants in Soil
  • Decontamination of Soil Following the Destruction of Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Demercurization of the Former Chlorine-Alkaline Production Facility at the Pavlodar Chemical Plant (former “Khimprom”) in Kazakhstan: Technologies and equipment
  • Metal-catalyzed methanolysis of P=S and P(=O)S containing OP materials
  • New Method for a Biochemical Testing of Samples of Construction Materials
  • Chemical Decontamination Experience
  • Assessment of Hazard of Former CWA Manufacturing Facilities: The Role of Chemical Analysis
  • Decontamination of Polluted Water

The third session was devoted to chemical contamination: hazard and risk assessment. The presentations and discussions of this session addressed the following questions:

  • Risk Assessment Methodology
  • Risk-based Cleanup Goals for Indoor Surfaces
  • Risk Assessment Research in Support of Homeland Security
  • Assessing Risks from Biological Agent Contamination
  • Toxicological and Hygienic Assessment of Wastes and Materials Contaminated by CWA
  • Assessment of Hazard of a Construction Waste at a Former CWA Manufacturing Facility

The forth workshop session was devoted to standards of decontamination.

The discussions were devoted to following issues:

  • Development of chemical decontamination standards
  • Decontamination Criteria for Buildings Affected by Chemical Terrorism
  • Development of Restoration Standards for Buildings Contaminated by Chemical Terrorism Agents
  • Substantiation of decontamination standards for Vx-contaminated building structures and materials
  • Possible Consequences from Toxic Industrial Chemicals with a Focus on Decontamination

During the final session, workshop participators confirmed the significance of discussions both for development of common views on reasonableness and efficiency of decontamination and for successful implementation of practical tasks concerning standards development.

2005

The International symposium : "Quality of decontamination: defining the targets following the acts of chemical and biological terrorism" was held at RIHTOP, in July 2005, in accordance with the Agreement No. SB-89-26-05 between ISTC and RIHTOP. The given symposium presented the first step in process of preparing to the joint scientific and research project with participants such as RIHTOP and Canadian Environmental Protection Agency. The purpose of this symposium was devoted to the development of scientifically sound standards for decontamination of surfaces after chemical terrorist acts. The project is a part of a large international program "Initiatives in the area of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear investigations, and technologies". Currently the project is under discussion at ISTC. Among available objectives, the two were successfully accomplished during the discussions. Those were an agreement upon attitudes among the participants, and common approaches that were worked out for solving the tasks of future project.

2002-2004

An International Symposium on "Decision-Making Tools in Response to Terrorist Use of Hazardous Substances - Minimizing Health Effects for Populations" was jointly organized by the ISTC and the RIHTOP and held in Volgograd in оctober 2002.

An International Symposium on "Medical and Biological Aspects of Chemical Weapons Stockpile Demilitarization", under the RIHTOP's initiative and joint sponsorship of ISTC and OPCW, was held in Volgograd in August 2003. The symposium involved 107 representatives from 7 countries. A delegation of senior officials from the US Department of State visited the symposium. An expert consultation, held during this symposium, recommended that specific information be prepared in relation to the RIHTOP's perspective research projects and further presented to the organizations concerned during a scheduled trip to USA in December 2003. The important outcome of the symposium was most encouraging for the RIHTOP as an official representative of chemical weapons destruction facilities in USA (Edgewood arsenal) showed a deep interest and engagement in the work that lies ahead -"… non-military partnerships for establishing health guidelines based on a broader scientific expertise and standardized risk assessments practices". This initiative is now implemented as preparative efforts directed towards a joint project to be carried out in the field of chemistry, which suggests that the RIHTOP's Chemistry Department be updated and re-equipped.

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