Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
DOI
10.1093/etojnl/vgaf294
Publication Title
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Volume
Advance online publication
Pages
24 pp.
Abstract
The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) is a global organization whose mission is the advancement of environmental science and management through collaboration, leadership, communication and education. On SETAC's 45th anniversary, the following question was raised: Are the 1979 founding principles of SETAC, multidisciplinary approaches to solving environmental problems, multisector engagement and scientific objectivity, still useful, adequate and effective in fulfilling its mission? In a special session held at the 45th Annual Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, a critical evaluation of the founding principles was initiated by reviewing SETAC's history and ongoing activities, and recommendations were made for the future. With few exceptions, participants appreciated SETAC's purposeful efforts to approach challenging environmental issues through multisector balance, an approach that is unique amongst scientific societies. We recognized that scientists have biases and views of what they find important, regardless of employing organization, and that objectivity is best served by being aware of these biases and views. SETAC's founding principles have stood the test of time and continue to provide a strong foundation for the Society's mission, and with a few suggested improvements, will continue to be instrumental in guiding environmental science, stewardship and policy into the future. The significance of SETAC's contribution of robust science grounded in reliable evidence and data was recognized as being especially crucial at this time of triple planetary crisis (climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss), compounded by rapid technological developments and geopolitical issues.
Rights
© The Authors 2025
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Data Availability
All relevant data generated for this review are available in this article and the online supplementary material. Additional details and raw data related to the SETAC North America Membership Survey are available from M. J. Johnson.
Original Publication Citation
Rattner, B. A., Leopold, A., Mitchelmore, C. L., Suter, G. W., Johnson, M. S., Bejarano, A. C., Kapustka, L. A., Krishnan, N., Muir, D. C. G., Opeolu, B. O., Orozco-Medina, M. G., Reed, A., Vigon, B. W., & Wronski, A. R. (2025). A critical perspective on the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry's adherence to founding principles— opportunities for the future. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf294
Repository Citation
Rattner, B. A., Leopold, A., Mitchelmore, C. L., Suter, G. W., Johnson, M. S., Bejarano, A. C., Kapustka, L. A., Krishnan, N., Muir, D. C. G., Opeolu, B. O., Orozco-Medina, M. G., Reed, A., Vigon, B. W., & Wronski, A. R. (2025). A critical perspective on the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry's adherence to founding principles— opportunities for the future. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf294
Supplementary Data
Included in
Environmental Sciences Commons, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Risk Analysis Commons, Vocational Education Commons