Introduction to Health Risk Assessment of Environmental Chemical Mixtures and Introductory Talk
This problems-based, half-day, introductory workshop focuses on methods to assess health risks posed by exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment. Chemical mixtures health risk assessment methods continue to be developed and evolve to address concerns over health risks from multichemical exposures. This workshop presents key concepts and terminology used in
chemical mixtures risk assessment for implementing component-based methods. Response addition and dose addition will be described and will include the following methods: the hazard index, interaction-based hazard index, relative potency factors, toxicity equivalence factors and integrated additivity. The risk assessment examples developed in the workshop are adapted from real-world mixture analyses, e.g., waste site contaminants, pesticide applications, and drinking water disinfection by-product exposures. The “hands-on” exercise, demonstrating the methods is an essential part of this workshop. Discussions include real world examples, exercise results, and answers to general questions. (We ask participants to bring a calculator or laptop). The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the USEPA.