Richard Denison
Senior Scientist
Health Program
Work
Richard Denison has 25 years of experience in the environmental arena, specializing in policy, hazard and risk assessment and management for industrial chemicals and nanomaterials.
Dr. Denison is a member of the National Academy of Sciences' Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, and serves on the Green Ribbon Science Panel for California’s Green Chemistry Initiative. He has managed EDF's oversight of EPA's High Production Volume (HPV) Chemical Challenge and Chemical Assessment and Management Program (ChAMP).
Dr. Denison has testified before various Congressional committees on the need for fundamental reform of US policy toward industrial chemicals [PDF] and on nanomaterial safety research needs. He was a peer reviewer of the National Research Council's report reviewing the federal government's proposed nanomaterial risk research strategy as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Nanotechnology White Paper and Nanotechnology Research Strategy.
He was a member of EDF’s team that worked jointly with the DuPont Corporation to develop a framework governing responsible development, production, use and disposal of nanoscale materials.
Dr. Denison's is a frequent contributor to EDF's Chemicals and Nanomaterials blog, where he posts both commentary and detailed analyses of the emerging science and policies affecting chemicals and nanomaterials in the U.S. internationally.
Background
Ph.D., Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University.
Denison joined EDF in 1987, after several years as an analyst and assistant project director in the Oceans and Environment Program, Office of Technology Assessment, United States Congress.
Publications
Denison has authored numerous papers and reports, and is active in a variety of activities and forums pertaining to chemicals and nanomaterial regulation and policy at the federal and state levels and internationally.
- Author, Ten Essential Elements in TSCA Reform [PDF], Environmental Law Reporter (2009).
- Author, Not That Innocent: A Comparative Analysis of Canadian, European Union and United States Policies on Industrial Chemicals (2007).
- Author, Across the Pond: Assessing REACH's First Big Impact on U.S. Companies and Chemicals (2008).
- Author, High Hopes, Low Marks: A final report card on the HPV Challenge (2007).
- Co-author, "Getting Nanotechnology Right the First Time [PDF]," Issues in Science and Technology, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (2005).
