About
About Us
Safer Chemistry Advisory is an environmental consulting firm solely dedicated to helping organizations identify, promote, and use products with sustainable safer chemicals.
We are an action-oriented organization that uses scientific-best practices to provide meaningful impact to our clients. The word safer alludes to continuous improvement. We support all movement, large or small, toward a more sustainable future.
Catherine Rudisill, MS, PMP
Founder & Principal
Catherine Rudisill has 18 years experience providing expert research and consulting services. During her tenure at SRC’s globally-recognized Environmental Health Analysis group, she worked with clients such as the U.S. EPA, National Library of Medicine, Washington Department of Ecology, and commercial organizations. In 2022, she founded her own environmental consulting firm dedicated solely to sustainable and safer chemicals.
For 10 years she worked with the U.S. EPA Safer Choice Program, one of the most impactful eco-labels on the market. She supported various Safer Choice initiatives, notably the publication and expansion of the Safer Chemical Ingredients List.
As a chemical assessor, her expertise focuses on the assessment of data poor chemicals by using in silico models, read across, and non-animal methods. Drawing from her experience with government and outreach agencies, she has been working towards the integration of safer chemical strategies into public and corporate policy.
Her multi-disciplinary background gives her a unique advantage in tackling complex sustainability issues. She has a BS in Chemistry from Shippensburg University, a MS In Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University, Certification in Sustainable Capitalism and ESG from Berkely Law, plus additional training in the assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals.
Cathy is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) awarded by the Project Management Institute (PMI). This certification is awarded to professionals with extensive training and documented
experience in management best practices.
She has co-authored several publications, chaired conference sessions, and is credited to more than 20 conference presentations since 2011. She is an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Alternatives Assessment (A4) Executive Council, and is a long-time member of the Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC) and the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Tickner J; Simon R; Jacobs M; Rudisill C; Tanir J; Heine L; Spencer P; Fantke P; Malloy T; Edwards S; and Zhou X. (2019), Lessons from the 2018 International Symposium on Alternatives Assessment: Advances and Reflections on Practice and Ongoing Needs to Build the Field. Integr Environ Assess Manag, 15: 909-916.
Tickner J; Schifano J; Blake A; Rudisill C; Mulvihill M. (2014) Advancing safer alternatives through functional substitution. Environ Sci Technol 49:742-749.
Tickner J; Geiser K; Rudisill C; Schifano J. (2013) Alternatives assessment in regulatory policy: history and future directions. In: Hester RE; Harrison RM, Eds. Issues in environmental science and technology: chemical alternatives assessment. Royal Society of Chemistry. pp. 256-295
Rudisill C; Jacobs M; Davies H; Malloy T; Roy M; Brown L (2022) Regulatory Assessments that Lead to Successful Chemical Substitution. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 17, 2022, Pittsburgh, PA.
Rudisill C; Coley C; Hard C (2021) A Streamlined, Fragment-Based Approach to Categorizing Large Chemical Inventories Based on Structural Similarity. Presented at the 19th International Conference on QSAR in Environmental and Health Sciences, June 7-9, 2021, Virtual.
Rudisill C; Hard C; Davies H; Zarker K (2020) Easily Digestible: Scoping a $10 Billion Market for Alternatives to PFAS In Food Packaging. Presented at the 24rd Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference and 9th International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry, June 16-18, 2020, Virtual.
Rudisill C; Morlacci L (2020) Designing Safer Consumer Products using the U.S. EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients List Presented at the 24rd Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference and 9th International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry, June 16-18, 2020, Virtual.
Rudisill C (2020) What’s Happening with the Washington PFAS in Food Packaging AA? Presented at DTSC Public Workshop on January 14, 2020, Sacramento, CA.
Rudisill C; Morlacci L (2019) Unintended Consequences – Avoiding regrettable substitutions by considering molecular function. Presented at the 23rd Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference and 9th International Conference on Green and Sustainable Chemistry, June 11-13, 2019, Reston, Va.
Rhoades J; Rudisill C; Penttila B (2019) Stakeholder engagement to support the PFAS in Food Packaging Alternatives Assessment. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 3-7, 2019, Toronto, ON.
Hard C; Rhoades J; Rudisill, C (2019) Selection of a representative PFAS for Washington State’s Food Packaging Alternatives Assessment. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 3-7, 2019, Toronto, ON.
Penttila, B; Rudisill C (2019) Assessing alternatives to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in food packaging – challenges of regulatory assessment. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 3-7, 2019, Toronto, ON.
Rudisill C; Salinas K; Melia J; Carlson-Lynch H. (2018) Consideration of skin sensitization in identifying preservatives for the U.S. EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients List. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 4-8, 2018, Sacramento, CA.
Rudisill C; Hackenmiller-Paradis R; Horspool K; Hard C. (2018) The evaluation of textile dyes using a cluster-supported read across approach. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 4-8, 2018, Sacramento, CA.
Rudisill C; Recent developments in Hazard Assessment. Presented at the International 2nd International Symposium on Alternatives Assessment: Building the Field, November 1-2, 2018, Sacramento, CA.
Kawa M; Rudisill C; Morlacci M; Tunkel J. (2017) Identification of chemical candidates for the U.S. EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients List. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 12-16, 2017, Minneapolis, MN.
Rudisill C; Morlacci L; Lavoie E; Adams M; Tunkel J. (2016) Case studies in the use of (Q)SARs for the assessment of safer chemical ingredients in consumer products. Presented at the 17th International Conference on QSAR in Environmental and Health Sciences, June 17-18, 2016, Miami Beach, FL.
Kawa M; Carlson-Lynch H; Melia J; Morlacci L; Rhoades J; Rudisill C; Salinas K; Tunkel J. (2015) Exploring a local quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model developed from mode-of-action data in an adverse outcome pathway. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 1-5, 2015, Salt Lake City, UT.
Tunkel J; Melia J; Salinas K; Morlacci L; Rhoades J; Kawa M; Rudisill C; Carlson-Lynch H. (2015) Using mode-of-action (MOA) data to guide the development of local quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models for molecular and early cellular events in an adverse outcome pathway (AOP). Presented at the annual American Chemical Society Meeting, August 16-20, 2015, Boston, MA.
Melia J; Salinas K; Morlacci L; Rhoades J; Kawa M; Rudisill C; Carlson-Lynch H; Tunkel J. (2015) Using mode-of-action (MOA) data to guide the development of local quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) models for molecular and early cellular events in an adverse outcome pathway (AOP). Presented at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) annual meeting, March 23-26, 2015, San Diego, CA.
Rudisill C; Lorenz A; Adams M; Morlacci M. (2015) Integration of natural complex substances into the EPA’s Safer Choice Program fragrance criteria. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 1-5, 2015, Salt Lake City, UT.
Rudisill C; Morlacci L; Tunkel J. (2014) The case for chemistry: Lessons learned while assessing ingredients for EPA’s Design for the Environmental (DfE) Program. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 8-13, 2014, Vancouver, BC.
Rudisill C; Morlacci, L; Tunkel J. (2014) Designing safer chemicals for consumer products: implications of a functional use perspective. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 8-13, 2014, Vancouver, BC.
Baier-Anderson C; Rudisill C; Morlacci L; Adams M; Drake B; Tunkel J; Mayo-Bean K. (2014) Using cluster approaches to assess the safety of chemicals used in consumer products. Presented at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) annual meeting, March 23-27, 2014, Phoenix, AZ.
Rudisill C; Morlacci L; Adams M; Baier-Anderson C; Drake B; Sommer E; Tunkel J; Mayo-Bean K. (2013) The benefits of using a clustering approach to assess the safety of chemicals in consumer products. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 17-21, 2013, Nashville, TN.
Rudisill C; Morlacci L; Adams M; Baier-Anderson C; Drake B; Sommer E; Tunkel J. (2013) Making sense of scents. Assessing health and ecological hazards of fragrances in consumer products submitted under the US EPA Safer Product Labeling Program. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 17-21, 2013, Nashville, TN.
Barber L; Hard C; Rudisill C; Miller T; Rhoades J, Garrett R; Tunkel J. (2011) CHIPs – Industrial Process Hazard Assessments for Potential Chemical Releases. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America annual meeting, November 13-20, 2011, Boston, MA.
Rudisill C; Jacobs M; Roy M (2022) Session chairs: Advances in Methods, Policies, and Practices for Safer and More Sustainable Alternatives. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 17, 2022, Pittsburgh, PA.
Rudisill C; Kawa M. (2021) Session chairs: Alternatives assessment and informed substitution: The core of safer chemical economy. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 12-16, 2017, Minneapolis, MN.
Rudisill C; Simon R (2019) Session chairs: Alternatives assessment and informed substitution: The transition to safer chemicals, materials, processes and products. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 3-7, 2019, Toronto, ON.
Rudisill C; Buck T. (2017) Session chairs: The science of safer chemistry – researchers, retailers, and beyond. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 12-16, 2017, Minneapolis, MN.
Rudisill C; Morlacci L; Tunkel J. (2014) Assessing Chemical Hazards in the Absence of Experimental Data. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) annual meeting, November 8-13, 2014, Vancouver, BC.