Research pick: Chemical risk assessment - "An approach to identify, prioritise and provide regulatory follow-up actions for new or emerging risks of chemicals for workers, consumers and the environment"

Researchers in The Netherlands and Italy are developing a new approach to identifying and providing prioritized regulatory follow-up actions for new or emerging chemical risks. The approach could benefit workers, consumers, and the environment. The team describes their approach as “a comprehensive and systematic approach for the identification of new or emerging risks of chemicals”.

First, new information is assimilated, then exposure and adverse effects are evaluated and prioritized, and where a problem is apparent an analysis of regulatory risk management options is undertaken so that timely recommendations of follow-up steps can be carried out to reduce or eliminate putative risks for a given substance.

L.G., Hogendoorn, E.A., Bakker, J., van Broekhuizen, F.A., Palmen, N.G.M., de Bruin, Y.B., Kooi, M., Sijm, D.T.H.M. and Traas, T.P. (2018) ‘An approach to identify, prioritise and provide regulatory follow-up actions for new or emerging risks of chemicals for workers, consumers and the environment’, Int. J. Risk Assessment and Management, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp.248–269.