Cumulative Risk Assessment for Environmental Mixtures: New Approaches Based on Pathways

This newsletter and additional information about the committee and its activities can be found at http://dels.nas.edu/emergingscience. The newsletter is prepared by National Research Council staff to keep you informed of activities of the Standing Committee on Emerging Science for Environmental Health Decisions. The views expressed in the newsletter are those of the meeting presenters and participants. The newsletter does not represent either formal consensus conclusions of the attendees or positions necessarily endorsed by the National Research Council. (EPA), explained, we are exposed not to one chemical at a time but to multiple chemicals, and we are exposed to these mixtures repeatedly throughout our lives. Some chemicals can cause or contribute to birth defects, cancers, reproductive disorders, and other adverse health outcomes, so it is crucial to understand which chemicals are harmful, their doses and combinations, and in which circumstances they cause harm. EPA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other federal and state agencies regulate tens of thousands of chemicals that are used in the United States. As part of its oversight, EPA conducts risk assessments to evaluate the potential health effects of these chemicals and to determine whether and how they can be used safely. Traditionally, risk assessments and regulations have focused on the effects of single chemicals, but this approach does not reflect the reality of our exposure in today’s world, Birnbaum observed. Scientists and decision makers are Cumulative Risk Assessment for Environmental Mixtures: New Approaches Based on Pathways