Overview New scientific methods, such as New Approach Methodologies ( NAMs), generate a large amount of valuable data, but using this for regulatory and toxicological purposes remains a challenge without a clear and integrated framework. Adverse Outcome Pathways ( AOPs) offer a promising solution. They are organised roadmaps that describe...

Overview Risk assessment traditionally focuses on single chemicals to identify potential adverse effects on human health. However, humans are exposed daily to many multiple chemicals. Evaluating the health risks of these chemical mixtures has become a priority. The exposome approach adds value by studying the total external exposures over a...

Overview This project aims to simplify and improve the process of assessing the environmental risks of plant protection products, such as pesticides. While these assessments have become more complex and resource-intensive, real-world studies still show harmful effects on ecosystems. These findings conflict with European regulations, such as the regulation on...

Overview Although strict regulations govern the use of agricultural pesticides in Europe, field studies have revealed harmful effects on non-target organisms, which include species not intended to be affected by pesticides. This goes against European regulation, which requires that pesticide use does not harm the abundance or diversity of these...

Key messages The scientific basis of the pesticide environmental risk assessment needs to be strengthened, and the regulatory complexity needs to be bechmarked; The validation status of exposure models in the environmental risk assessment of pesticides needs to be improved; Measured and predicted environmental pesticide concentrations have to be contextualized...

Key messages Management of heterogenous data originating from interdisciplinary field like chemistry, biology, medicine and environmental science with varying format, quality and level of uncertainty is a major roadblock in chemical risk assessment (CRA). Computational methods like ontology-based text mining, natural language processing (NLP) models, and data mining approaches can...

Key messages The human relevance of testing strategies currently used, including toxicity studies in experimental animals and New Approach Methodologies ( NAMs), is usually uncertain. A pragmatic workflow for human relevance assessment of Adverse Outcome Pathways ( AOPs) and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) would greatly help to overcome this challenge...

Overview Over the years, various tools and database platforms have been created to store, analyse, and visualise data and trends on the presence of chemicals and trends in their exposure in the environment. However, each tool or platform was developed for different user groups, offering various services and addressing different...

Key messages The project will illustrate the usefulness of early warning monitoring tools both for environmental and biomonitoring; Criteria for acceptance and prioritization of early warning signals will be defined. Overview This project is supporting the establishment of an Early Warning System (EWS) to identify and prioritise new and existing...

Key messages Novel suspect and non-screening methods are crucial to detect a wide range of chemicals that may not be well understood or prioritised. Quality assurance and quality control for these methods is not yet well established. In this project, a harmonised quality assurance and quality control framework will be...

Key messages The project focuses on improving food safety by detecting hazardous chemicals, including unknown and emerging contaminants, in food products. Traditional testing methods only target known compounds, but this project uses high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify a broader range of potential food contaminants. The project explores how advanced screening...

Key messages Modelling of exposure from the source to the exposure is based on a mechanistic understanding of processes involved in the project from the source to the human exposure. Source to dose modelling requires in most cases an integrated approach, meaning the considering of different exposure routes (inhalation, oral...

Key messages The existing databases containing information on chemicals in products and articles are heterogeneous in structure and coverage, which can hinder product safety and circularity. Enforcement agencies are challenged by lack of composition data in products and lack of analytical capacity to evaluate hazardous substances in products/articles. Lack of...

Key messages Nurses and other workers in hospitals may become exposed to various hazardous medicines unless proper precautions are taken. New measured data on exposure to hazardous medicines are collected together with detailed information on practises applied at hospitals to promote safe handling practises. The study supports the implementation of...

Key messages Assessment of reproduction and embryotoxicity in pond snails by mycotoxins commonly present in wastewater Assessment of cyanobacterial toxicity to marine and freshwater invertebrates on life history Assessment of cyanobacterial toxicity in combination with chemical pollution to green algae Overview The EU uses regulations as a method to set...

Key messages The battery of genotoxicity in vitro assays is sensitive for the detection of genotoxic carcinogens, but the multifactorial nature of the carcinogenesis process greatly hinders the detection of non-genotoxic carcinogens. The overarching aim of this project is to improve human carcinogenic evaluation in vitro based on reliable and...

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...

Key messages An Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment ( IATA) for liver fibrosis is in development based on assays that incorporate multiple cell types involved in liver fibrosis. Various liver cell types are investigated for their suitability for liver fibrosis-related Adverse Outcome Pathways ( AOPs). Liver fibrosis-related AOPs are...

Key messages At present, risk assessment approaches are not coherent across different regulatory frameworks compromising the consistency of decision making and the achievement of policy objectives. Level of required protection or safety margins for human health and the environment may vary significantly between different frameworks even in similar regulatory contexts...