Company profile
The Research and Advisory Institute for Hazardous Substances (Forschungs- und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe (FoBiG) GmbH) is a private company specialised in the field of chemicals assessment and toxicological risk assessment.
Since 1986, we have dedicated ourselves to questions related to regulatory toxicology on behalf of local, federal and national governmental agencies, European Union agencies, industry, various stakeholedrs as well as in (international) research projects Corresponding to our broad range of activities, our team consists of scientists from various disciplines (toxicology, chemistry, biology and pharmaceutics).
Philosophy of the institute
History of the company
Committee work
Legal form
Partners
Staff/contacts
Philosophy of the institute
FoBiG documents and assesses scientific findings on the effects of chemicals on humans and the environment and proposes measures to be taken. This often results in a quantitative risk assessment which is needed for regulatory measures.
FoBiG is committed to the rules of scientific practice which includes the evaluation of existing data as to their scientific quality and reliability. It also requires reproducible and objective reporting on the findings obtained. If an assessment is based on certain assumptions, these have to be clearly stated. However, using scientific methods also involves recognising their limitations: natural science can only try to model reality - it is not reality.
On this background, our work also requires interdisciplinary cooperation in which toxicological expert knowledge is interlinked with, for example, legal, social, or engineering aspects of handling chemical substances in the environment.
History of the company
FoBiG was founded in 1986 by the occupational scientist and industrial engineer Dr. Fritz Kalberlah, who had previously established the department of "Chemical assessment at the workplace" at the "Öko-Institut" (Institute for Applied Ecology) in Freiburg. During the early phase, FoBiG was mainly engaged in the evaluation of hazardous substances at the workplace and related to the discussions around the methodology for the derivation of limit values. Since 1989, FoBiG has been active in compiling and evaluating the toxicological data for approximately 100 chemicals known to be relevant at hazardous waste sites. This work was carried out on behalf of the German Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt) within the framework of drafting regulations for the Federal Soil Protection Law (Bundesbodenschutzgesetz). In addition, FoBiG has provided assessment of several key chemicals at the workplace (e.g., solvents, metal-working fluids and lubricants) on behalf of, among others, the trade union of metal-workers (IG Metall).
In 1992, FoBiG was converted into a private limited company with Martin Hassauer, Fritz Kalberlah and Klaus Schneider as partners of the company. The range of issues broadened and work was carried out for local, federal and national government agencies as well as industry and various stakeholders (e.g. consumer groups and industrial federations). During the latter half of the 1990ies, international projects in cooperation with EU institutions, US committees and in research projects were carried out.
In 1995, the company moved to larger premises on Werderring. After 14 years, we moved again (on 1 July 2009) into our new premises with a very nice view of the city and nearby Black Forest mountains. At the same time, our long-time staff member Jan Oltmanns joined as a partner of the company.
Committee work
For a long time, the managing director of the institute was a member of the Committee on Hazardous Substances (Ausschuss für Gefahrstoffe, AGS) of the German Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. He still is a member of the AGS Sub-Committee III (“Assessment of Hazardous Substances”). He was also a member of the “Risk Commission” (Risikokommisson) convened by the German Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Health in 2000. Dr. Klaus Schneider contributes e.g. to the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Staff are also members of the German Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (Deutschen Gesellschaft für experimentelle und klinische Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, DGPT) and its working group “Regulatory Toxicology” as well as of EUROTOX Risk Assessment Speciality Section. FoBiG is a member of IGUMED (Interdisciplinary Society for Environmental Medicine).
Legal form
The Research and Advisory Institute (Forschungs- und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe GmbH, FoBiG) was founded in 1992 as a private limited company, succeeding the respective company founded in 1986.
Partners: Dr. Martin Hassauer, Dr. Fritz Kalberlah, Dr. Klaus Schneider, Jan Oltmanns
General Manager: Dr. Fritz Kalberlah
Trade register number: HRB 4236 (Amtsgericht Freiburg)
Partner
FoBiG does not conduct experimental work and has no laboratory. Depending on the topic, FoBiG cooperates with qualified institutions possessing specific experience and evidence of expertise (e.g. in the form of GLP certificates). In the area of biocide legislation, FoBiG cooperates with partners Battelle, Hydrotox and ECT under the name REGISGATE, which offers comprehensive service packages.
