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Fresh pastures beckon: Dr. Dieter Arnold retires

23/2002, 04.10.2002

Dr. Dieter Arnold has devoted many years of his professional life to consumer health protection. Today, the provisional director for many years of the Federal Institute for Health Protection of Consumers is ending his work and taking up his deserved retirement. The invited speakers at the farewell celebrations in BgVV in Berlin talked of his great commitment, seriousness, objectivity and international reputation. The former director of BgVV, Dr. Arpad Somogyi, described his wealth of ideas, hard work, reliability and loyalty as the "Arnold seal of quality".

Arnold has been in charge of the BgVV since 1998. After studying chemistry and physical chemistry in Freiburg, he did his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Immune Biology and obtained his post-doctoral qualification at the Free University Berlin. In 1977 Dr. Arnold joined the then Federal Health Office, became head of unit in 1981 and in 1988 head of the department Medicinal Products, Animal Nutrition and Residue Research. In 1991 he took over as head of the Centre for Surveillance and Health Evaluation of Environmental Chemicals (ZEBS) and showed his worth in this function with innovative approaches in cooperation between the Federal Government and federal states. Following the dissolution of the Federal Health Office, ZEBS was taken over by the Federal Institute for Health Protection of Consumers and Veterinary Medicine. In 1995 the then Director of BgVV, Arpad Somogyi, appointed him as his deputy.

Arnold is viewed as a generalist with extensive expert knowledge in consumer health protection. He has many years' experience in the field of risk analysis in both European and international bodies. He is involved, amongst other things, in the expert committees of the World Health Organisation and Food and Agriculture Organisation and works as an expert for the World Trade Organisation.

Independence, transparency and the involvement of consumers were the goals which Dr. Arnold set himself and then rigorously pursued. On many occasions he publicly advocated obliging all institutions on the federal government and federal state levels to publish all their expert opinions and proposed measures in order to make scientific advice and political decisions transparent for consumers.

Following his departure from BgVV Dr. Arnold will move on to fresh pastures and share his many years' experience on the international stage.

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