The two-day International Workshop on Silicones concluded on August 6, 2024 at CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) with a promise to strengthen national capacity for silicone sampling and analysis in India.
On Day 2 of the workshop, the participants were taken to the Sophisticated Environmental Analytical Facility and Harit Sangrahalaya to showcase the Institute’s capabilities. Jeremy Durham, Associate Research Scientist, The Dow Chemical Company, USA, highlighted the analytical methods for siloxanes in air, water and sediment. Debra McNett, Senior Scientist, The Dow Chemical Company, USA, shed light on the challenges faced in analytical laboratories and product analysis. Dr. N. N. Rao, Former Chief Scientist, CSIR-NEERI, gave an overview of the status of emerging chemicals in the Indian environment, such as silicones. Tracy Guerrero, Director, American Chemical Council, along with Jeremy Durham and Ms. Debra McNett, conducted a mock exercise on the monitoring and analysis of silicones in environmental samples.
In the concluding session, K. Thomas, Executive Director, Global Silicones Council (GSC), USA said that once the analytical skills regarding silicones are developed, all institutions will follow the same methodology and analyze the same types of environmental samples, this will make comparisons easier. After the analysis, further steps will be taken to develop an inventory of silicones in environmental samples to facilitate policy makers, he added.
Presenting the outcome of the workshop, Dr. Noor A. Khan, Principal Scientist, CSIR-NEERI and Dr. Ankit Gupta, Principal Scientist, CSIR-NEERI focused on the need to strengthen analytical skills and training on best practices for uniform silicone sampling and analysis, particularly for D4, D5 and D6 siloxanes. They mentioned that the workshop recommended facilitating collaborative research to determine the fate of silicones.
Dr. N. N. Rao, Former Chief Scientist, CSIR-NEERI and Dr. Nitin Labhsetwar, Chief Scientist, CSIR-NEERI felicitated the experts and distributed certificates to the participants.