Overview

In the traditional compartmentalised approach to risk assessment, different exposure environments are often considered separately. This project aims to bridge that gap by advancing knowledge on the integration of occupational and general life exposures. By promoting a more holistic approach to risk assessment and management, it seeks to overcome regulatory silos in line with recent initiatives from European agencies and the European Commission. The project focuses on developing strategies to aggregate exposures from multiple sources and routes, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of risks across different settings.

The project is divided into three parts:

• Review phase: This phase focuses on reviewing available models, tools, and data, and designing a functional framework for model connection.
• Method development: This phase involves developing methods and criteria for performing aggregate exposure assessments.
• Case studies: The final phase organises and initiates relevant case studies based on the defined criteria and PARC priorities.

Building from current knowledge, this project represents a significant step toward advanced aggregate exposure assessments from multiple sources and routes. By identifying key sources and pathways in both occupational and everyday settings, it aims to enhance risk management strategies and improve public health protection.

Achievements & Results

• Several actions occurred: exposure models and data inventory; model selection and description; review of regulatory guidance and current aggregate methods; develop the strategy and the roadmap for aggregate exposure; inventory of aggregate exposure models; identification of case studies, organisation in working groups and data identification.  
• The inventory of occupational and general life models to estimate exposure from various sources and routes has begun, building on previous work by the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES ↗) and the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD ↗). Different data sources to feed these exposure models have been identified.
• Based on defined criteria and proposed case studies, a deeper investigation of available data has started to evaluate the feasibility of these case studies, which will commence in the project's second year. Partners have been organied into working groups with common interests in the case studies, and the strategy and roadmap for assessing aggregate exposure from various living environments have been established.