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What is Scientific Consulting?

ChemRisk, LLC 101 Second St., Suite 700 San Francisco, CA 94105 http://www.chemrisk.com

Matt Grespin Johns Hopkins Bloomberg

School of Public Health December, 2012

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Personal Background

• B.S. Biology – James Madison University (2005) • M.S. Biology – The College of William and Mary

(2008) • S.M. Environmental Health – Harvard School of

Public Health (2010)

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Consulting Typically Involves… • Outside clients • Often short deadlines • Fast pace of work, daily schedule

unpredictable • Multi-tasking (juggling around 2-6

projects at any given moment) • Frequent client interactions • Wide variety of scientific topics • Publishing data and conclusions • Becoming rapidly proficient with

complex scientific problems

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Pros of Consulting • Unlimited opportunities to learn and

grow intellectually • A career based on merit • Skill sets learned are transferable and

valuable • Flexible pathways for career evolution

and growth • Challenging setting with diverse

colleagues from many scientific disciplines

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Cons of Consulting

• A career based on merit • At times, frequent travel • At times, long hours • Often bring your work home with you • No resting on laurels - - even senior

leadership need to “perform” • Societal view of consultants not always

positive • Juggling multiple tasks and goals often

difficult to manage

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Characteristics of an Exceptional Consultant • Able to produce high

quality work product • Timely work completion • Team player • Works independently • Thinks independently • Self-starter • Proficient writer and

speaker • Problem solver

• Acknowledged expert • Always learning • Shares successes • Responsible attitude • Thinks ahead • Able to manage projects • Able to manage people • Good mentor • Personable

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ChemRisk

®

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Our History • ChemRisk® founded in 1985 to provide a

comprehensive range of human health and consumer product risk assessment services

• A wealth of experience delivering scientific and legal strategies to solve a broad range of challenging problems – Our scientists have a successful track record

of providing expert advice and opinions on many of the most prominent health and safety issues in the United States

– ChemRisk® scientists have published nearly 400 peer-reviewed papers and 50 book chapters

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ChemRisk San Francisco

Orange County

Boulder Pittsburgh Chicago New York

2012 (80 Employees)

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Our Team

• Toxicologists • Environmental Health Scientists • Epidemiologists • Industrial Hygienists • Modeling/Engineers/Mathematicians • Physician • Products Sustainability Experts

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Our Vision

• Provide clients a very high end consulting service with the goal of finding creative and scientifically solid solutions to environmental and occupational health challenges

• Provide all of our employees a challenging and unique opportunity to build their careers at a pace and in a manner that they desire, without impediment by any person or corporate structure

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Practice Areas • Human Health and Environmental Risk Assessment • Industrial Hygiene • Toxicology • Environmental & Mathematical Modeling • Exposure Assessment

• Dose Reconstruction

• Consumer Products • Medical Device/Pharmaceuticals • Biological Monitoring • Epidemiology

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Short Term Outlook (2012-2017)

• Tier I – Nanotechnology – Occupational health – Dioxins/chlorinated

compounds – Asbestos – Benzene – Food flavorings – Products sustainability – Green chemistry – Prop.65/REACH

• Tier II – Lead – Mercury – Exotic metals (Be) – Contaminated groundwater – Contaminated sediments – Medical monitoring – Medical devices

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What is Scientific Consulting at ChemRisk?

Selected ChemRisk Projects

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Tire Industry Project Group (TIPG)

• ChemRisk working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and 11 tire companies to understand human health and environmental impact of tire manufacture and use

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Phase I • State of knowledge regarding human and ecological health

risk associated with tire materials and tire wear particles (TWP) – completed 2007

– Summary found on WBCSD website (http://www.wbcsd.org)

– Data gaps/needs identified; research plan prepared for TWP

• Physical/Chemical properties • Measurement in the environment • Toxicity

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Phase II • Collection of TWP for research studies

– Roadway simulator – On-road collection

• Physical and chemical characterization of TWP

• Environmental leaching

• Acute aquatic toxicity

• Evaluation of airborne fraction

• Bioaccessibility of chemicals in TWP from inhalation

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Catalyst Exposure at Refinery • Catalyst allegedly caused

respiratory disease in workers who loaded and unloaded catalyst from reactors

• 1960s to 1990s

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Areas of Investigation • State of the science

– What does the science (epi/tox) say?

• H&S Program

– How does this compare to regulatory requirements & non-regulatory guidelines?

• IH records

– What were the exposures?

• Medical review – Do the symptoms support

the diagnosis?

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Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico

• LANL started in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to create the first atomic weapons

• Followed by R&D programs in numerous fields • Radionuclides and other toxic chemicals were released in

significant quantities that are not well-known • Contracted by CDC

– To identify and prioritize releases in terms of their relative importance from the standpoint of off-site health effects

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Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico

• More than 10 years • Reviewed more than a

million documents – Many were at one time

classified • Emissions quantified • Modeling was conducted

– Estimate concentrations in the community

• Interesting components – High-security clearance – Design under the direction

of an oversight panel – All phases of the study

were communicated to the community

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Asbestos Exposure

• Nearly 3000 different historical products contained asbestos

• Exposure to asbestos in

sufficient quantities can cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma

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Research Studies

• Exposure simulation studies of mastics, bakelite, brakes/clutches, gaskets/packing

• State-of-the-science assessment of the hazards of asbestos

• Exposure assessment of maritime operations

• Threshold analysis of lung cancer and mesothelioma

• Exposure assessment of craftsmen

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A “Typical” Day

• Communicate with clients and internal staff

• Work on reports, presentations, or other deliverables

• Meetings with team members and project managers

• Administrative tasks • Data analysis • Mentoring • Professional development

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Concluding Thoughts…How to Prepare for a Consulting Career • Consider classes

– Risk/exposure assessment – Epidemiology – Environmental toxicology – Industrial hygiene, etc.

• Get research experience • Accept public speaking opportunities • Publish whenever possible • Invest in yourself and your career

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“Pioneering innovative human health and ecological risk assessment methods”

ChemRisk

®