Key messages

• Assessing chemical exposure at early stage of life is still a challenge.
• Today, new tools are available that enhance chemical exposure assessment.
• Efforts are ongoing to refine and clarify the applicability and effectiveness of these approaches.
• Their value in chemical prioritisation and contribution to early warning systems has been well established. 

Overview

To accurately reflect the complex reality of human exposure to chemicals, new conceptual frameworks and innovative methodological approaches are essential, encompassing every step from sample collection to the generation and analysis of exposure data. While promising new approaches are available, they require further development and rigorous performance evaluation before they can be widely implemented in large-scale human cohort studies.

Agencies such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA ↗) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA ↗) have highlighted the critical importance of early-life human exposure, particularly in the context of risk assessment and its implications for long-term health, as described by the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD ↗) concept. 

New sampling techniques, such as silicone wristbands and dried blood spots, offer non-invasive solutions for collecting samples from vulnerable populations like infants and children, where minimising invasiveness and sample size is paramount.

In parallel, suspect and non-targeted screening (SS/NTS ↗) approaches, leveraging high-resolution mass spectrometry and effect-directed analysis (EDA ↗), are gaining traction in analytical laboratories. These methods are designed to detect a broad spectrum of chemicals without prior knowledge of specific substances, enabling the identification of unexpected or previously unknown exposures.

This project aims to develop and validate a proof-of-concept to evaluate the performance and potential of these innovative methods as complementary tools to traditional, targeted approaches. The focus is on analysing human samples collected from mother-child pairs. These screening methods are designed to simultaneously detect diverse substances from multiple chemical classes, including both persistent and non-persistent organic pollutants of emerging concern. 

Achievements & Results

In Year 1, the project achieved key milestones, including finalising the global roadmap, developing a detailed work plan across three experimental pillars, identifying initial sample sets, arranging material transfer agreements and sample shipments, and sharing existing standard operating procedures for analytical methods.

By Year 2, partner roles were consolidated, and initial sample analyses (pillar 1) and interlaboratory assays for screening techniques (pillar 2) began, with both on track. Additionally, a working group on innovative sampling methods was established, conducting a literature review to identify existing knowledge and gaps. 

In Year 3, data analysis for the first round of sample characterisation and interlab assay results is underway, alongside progress in method harmonisation and experimental testing of clean-up procedures to refine standard operating procedures for sampling tools like silicone wristbands. 

Policy relevance

• Elaboration of templates for harmonised reporting of SS/NTS data and interlab assay.
• Contribution to the elaboration of a common QA/QC chemical mixture for harmonised method performance assessment to be possibly further handled by JRC as reference.
• Contribution to documenting real-life chemical exposure in perinatal period as a basis for further prioritisation of action.