The Health Risk Assessment – Principles and Applications training course, part of the PARC training plan for 2024–2025, was successfully held on 18–22 November 2024 at the Institute of Environmental Medicine ↗, Karolinska Institutet, in Stockholm, Sweden. The course brought together 32 participants from 22 PARC partner organisations across 13 countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden). Participants actively engaged in learning through presentations and group assignments.

The course was organized by Johanna Zilliacus, Anna Beronius, and Annika Hanberg from the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, with additional teaching provided by Linda Schenk and Maria Kippler from the same institute.

The training introduced key concepts in risk assessment, including the steps involved: hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. Participants explored various data types from in vivo/animal, epidemiological, and in vitro studies, along with exposure data used in risk assessment. Discussions focused on assessing the relevance and reliability of the data and integrating different kinds of evidence. The course also covered new approaches and next-generation risk assessment techniques.

Participants practiced deriving health-based guidance values, such as Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), and calculating Margins of Safety values based on available data. The course highlighted the role of risk assessment in regulatory decision-making and presented real-world examples. In group assignments, participants analyzed and discussed risk assessment reports from EFSA ↗, ECHA ↗, and US EPA ↗, presenting their findings to other groups.

Social activities, including a welcome reception on the first day and a pub evening on the final night, provided opportunities for networking and informal discussions.

“The course participants were a good mix from different organisations, bringing diverse knowledge and experience to the training. The course structure, combining presentations with ample time for discussions and small group assignments, enabled in-depth learning and networking,” remarked Johanna Zilliacus, the course coordinator.

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