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Director of Toxicology for Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), Dr. Vergnes provides our clients with toxicology expertise for the broad range of chemical regulatory and support services we offer, including support for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) dossiers, Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) new and existing chemicals reviews, California Proposition 65 initiatives, pesticide risk assessments, and hazard communication. An experienced leader in global product stewardship, she offers clients an agile, multi-disciplinary talent for problem-solving honed in her 25 years directing product stewardship and toxicology departments for Ashland, Inc., International Specialty Products (ISP), Texaco, and Union Carbide (now Dow). Dr. Vergnes is also an experienced research scientist and scientific study director with a Ph.D. in Human Genetics and a specialization in the genetic/epigenetic modes of action of toxicants, and she deploys the full depth of her scientific, business, and policy knowledge to resolve clients' challenges.
Dr. Vergnes came to B&C from Ashland, Inc., a Fortune 500-listed global specialty chemical company. As Senior Manager, Toxicology and Regulatory Programs, at Ashland, Dr. Vergnes was responsible for practices and procedures followed by all toxicologists in the company globally, including oversight of chemical regulatory programs and chemical registrations, TSCA chemical data reporting, and comparable programs in the many countries in which Ashland operates, drug precursor regulations, chemical weapons convention compliance, California Proposition 65 compliance, and hazard communication. Prior to Ashland, Dr. Vergnes served as Senior Director of Global Product Stewardship for ISP, where she managed toxicology, hazard communication, and product regulatory affairs programs for all industrial and specialty chemical ingredient product lines, including personal care ingredients, household and industrial ingredients, biocides, performance chemicals, acetylenics, food and beverage, pharmaceutical excipients, tablet coating systems, encapsulation technologies, and elastomers.
Dr. Vergnes' strong foundation in scientific study design and management was laid during her years as a research scientist and supervisor at the Bushy Run Research Center of Union Carbide. It was there that she developed her keen ability to provide customized solutions to complex and unprecedented business challenges. Her work often required her to design original protocols involving multiple internal and external resources, anticipating potential obstacles, and identifying key information and decisions to maximize benefit and limit expenditure of resources, often on extremely tight deadlines.
Leadership positions in the many trade groups and professional associations of which she is a member have given Dr. Vergnes the opportunity to advise the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines for genotoxicity testing and provide testimony before a European Commission panel on drug precursor chemicals. Her work has also brought her in contact with officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), EPA, individual states, and many countries to discuss risk assessment and risk mitigation strategies.
Dr. Vergnes received her Ph.D. in Human Genetics from the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, and her B.A. in Bacteriology from Ohio Wesleyan University. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Her original research has been published in Toxicologist, Journal of Applied Toxicology, Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Representative Engagements:
- Assisted a U.S. company with development of an approach to compliance with the Conflict Minerals provisions of Dodd--Frank.
- Provided technical support to an international client through the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) public meeting process.
- Aided a multinational client with development of a surrogate No Significant Risk Level under California Proposition 65.
- Helped several clients address various regulatory compliance and safety issues for chemicals regulated under food, drug, and cosmetics regulations.
Publications:
L. Bergeson, B. Auerbach, L. Campbell, T. Backstrom, S. Dolan, J. Vergnes, R. Engler, J. Bultena, K. Baron, C. Auer, "The DNA of the U.S. Regulatory System: Are We Getting It Right for Synthetic Biology?," Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Synthetic Biology Project Report, October 15, 2015.
Bevan, C., Gargas, M., Kirman, C., and Vergnes, J. 2009. "Mode of Action and Derivation of a Cancer and Non-cancer Reference Value for 4-Vinylcyclohexene." Toxicologist 108(1).
Vergnes, J.S. and Ballantyne, B. 2002. "Genetic Toxicology Studies with Glutaraldehyde." J. Appl. Toxicol. 22:45-60.
Vergnes, J.S. and Ballantyne, B. 2001. "In Vitro and in Vivo Genetic Toxicology Studies with Diethylene Glycol Monohexyl Ether." J. Appl. Toxicol. 21: 449-460.
Vergnes, J.S. and Ballantyne, B. 2000. "2,4-Pentanedione: Evaluation of the Genotoxic Potential in Vitro and in Vivo." Toxic Substance Mechanisms 19:151-175.
Walker, V.E., Wu, K-Y, Upton, P.B., Ranasinghe, A., Scheller, N., Cho, M-H, Vergnes, J.S., Skopek T.R., and Swenberg, J.A. 2000. "Biomarkers of exposure and effect as indicators of potential carcinogenic risk arising from in vivo metabolism of ethylene to ethylene oxide." Carcinogenesis 21:1661-1669.
Vergnes, J.S., Jung, R., Thakur, A.J., Barfknecht, T.R., and Reynolds, V.L. 2000. "Genetic Toxicity Evaluation of Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane." Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 36:13-21.
Vergnes, J.S. and Ballantyne, B. 1998. "Investigations on theIn Vitro and In Vivo Genotoxic Potential of 5-Vinyl-2-norbornene." J. Appl. Toxicol. 18:129-142.
McKee, R.H., Vergnes, J.S., Galvin, J.V., Douglas, J.F., Kneiss, J.J., and Andrews, L.S. 1997. "Assessment of the In Vivo Mutagenic Potential of Methyl Tertiary-butyl Ether." J. Appl. Toxicol. 17 (Supplement 1):S31-S36.
Vergnes, J.S. and Pritts, I.M. 1994. "Effects of Ethylene on Micronucleus Formation in the Bone Marrow of Rats and Mice Following Four Weeks of Inhalation Exposure." Mutation Research 324:87-91.
Vergnes, J.S. and Pritts, I.M. 1994. "Ethylene: Genotoxic Potential Using the Bone Marrow Micronucleus Test Following Four Weeks of Vapor Exposure." Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 23 (Supplement 23):69.
Vergnes, J.S. and Ballantyne, B. 1994. "Glutaraldehyde (50% Aqueous Solution): Assessment of Genotoxic Potential In Vitro and In Vivo." Toxicologist 14(1):328.
Vergnes, J.S. and Ballantyne, B. 1993. "2,4-Pentantdione: Assessment of Genotoxic Potential In Vitro and In Vivo." Toxicologist 13(1):224.
Vergnes, J.S., Guiney, P.D., Myers, R.C., and Fowler, E.H. 1992. "In Vitro Toxicity of Concentrated Air Freshener Products and Their Ingredients: Comparison with Rabbit Dermal Irritation." Toxicologist 12(1):107.
