Risk assessments
Monitoring
At PARC we aim to enhance our understanding of human and environmental exposure to chemicals including the chemicals’ interactions and pathways, transformation and fate of chemicals in the environment and in human’s body. In support of the European Commission, new monitoring approaches will be applied to complement existing monitoring schemes with reliable Europe-wide FAIR monitoring data. Furthermore, robust, reliable and fit-for-purpose innovative tools and methods will be further developed, to for instance support and facilitate the exposure assessment of vulnerable sub-populations, and the early warning detection of chemicals of emerging concern. (For more information: A walk in the PARC: developing and implementing 21st century chemical risk assessment in Europe)
The work is divided into three tasks aimed at achieving three objectives:
- consolidation of the human biomonitoring (HBM) platform by HBM4EU ↗
- establishing an EU-wide environmental and multisource monitoring, and
- further development of innovative methods and tools for monitoring.
What is the level of chemicals in European's people bodies?
HBM is an essential tool for assessing how people are exposed to environmental pollutants. By analysing biological samples like urine, blood, breast milk, hair, etc., HBM studies can identify chemicals, and their metabolites present in the body. This helps us understand the extent of exposure in an integrated way, considering all sources and routes. Beyond mere detection, HBM can also assess potential health effects by monitoring both exposure and effect biomarkers in combination with health information and effect biomarkers, we can pinpoint potential adverse health impacts. This holistic approach helps pinpoint potential adverse health impacts and evaluate the effectiveness of measures to reduce pollutant levels.
General population HBM surveys aim to generate representative data on internal chemical concentrations from European citizens. These data establish reference values for chemical levels in the body and provide insights into spatial and temporal trends of human chemical exposure, as well as the effectiveness of regulatory measures. These surveys include male and female participants from various socio-economic backgrounds and living environments to ensure representativeness across Europe.
At PARC, we conduct an EU-wide HBM study, known as PARC Aligned Studies, to assess chemical exposure across different age groups: in children (6-11 years) in 16 countries, adolescents (12-17 years) in 12 countries, and adults (18-39 years) in 20 countries. Children provide urine and hair samples to study exposure to eight chemical groups, while adolescents and adults provide urine and blood samples to investigate six and ten chemical groups, respectively. Additional chemicals may be studied at the national level based on specific priorities. By gathering comprehensive data, HBM studies play a key role in safeguarding public health and guiding policies to minimise chemical exposure. The goal is to establish a long-term, sustainable HBM and surveillance system for chemical exposure in Europe in collaboration with WP2 “A common science-policy-agenda” co-leaders and partners.
PARC also conducts targeted occupational HBM studies focusing on two sectors with significant exposure potential, such as waste management and health care. In the waste management, workers might encounter hazardous chemicals while handling recycled materials, a concern heightened by the industry's growth and its importance to the circular economy. In the healthcare sector, workers are exposed to harmful substances, including medicines. Despite recent EU regulations and guidelines, more data are needed to understand the effectiveness of these measures on worker safety.
The final goal is to gather data from across Europe on the level of exposure of workers in these sectors. We also would like to see if using biomonitoring can help keep track of worker's exposure levels and health. In addition, we are studying which groups of people are regularly exposed to potential risks at work. Also, there is another project, a sentinel surveillance system, that gathers information on occupational exposure to keep an eye on these risks over time.
In 2024 and 2025, targeted Human Biomonitoring (HBM) surveys are be defined and developed to address specific research and policy questions. Alongside these surveys, a flexible Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) programme is defined to ensure the quality and comparability of HBM data produced in PARC. Efforts will also focus on harmonising and improving analytical methods across laboratories with standarised reference methods defined whenever possible. Additionally, tools will be developed to strengthen the HBM laboratory network.
The HBM4EU strategy will be further refined to derive Health-Based Guidance Values (HBM-GVs) for the general and, where relevant, for occupational population. Both exposure and effect biomarkers will be used to assess associations between chemical exposure and adverse health effects. Challenges related to the linking HBM data with health examination, occupational, geospatial and dietary surveys data will be identified and resolved with the support from the PARC team that works on ‘FAIR Data’.
Innovative techniques and methods under consideration include non-target screening (NTS) and suspect screening, self-sampling, non-invasive sampling, micro-sampling, and exposure assessment through personal or environmental sensors, including wristbands and mobile apps.
Establishing a European environmental and multi-source monitoring system
Monitoring the environment and the various sources of chemicals is crucial for assessing chemicals risks in Europe. Although some EU countries have monitoring systems in place for individual environmental compartments, mainly water, there is a need for establishing an EU-wide environmental and multi-source monitoring. At PARC, we have developed a monitoring cycle with the aim to establish a novel, cutting-edge, and universally applicable monitoring scheme, that provides valuable information for assessing chemicals risks across Europe. This monitoring cycle encompassing six essential steps:
- prioritisation and selection of chemicals,
- review of existing knowledge and infrastructure,
- design of monitoring studies,
- monitoring activities,
- data analysis and transfer
- a feedback mechanism.
Using this monitoring cycle, PARC will design and conduct activities to trace the sources and pathways of chemical exposure, supporting the development of an early warning system to promptly detect potential risks. Particular attention will focus on maintaining a robust quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) system to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the data collected. The analysis of the data will entail the use of novel digitalisation and machine learning-based techniques. PARC will standardise data processing and usage across its monitoring activities, ensuring consistency and comparability.
A key component will be the establishment of a feedback mechanism to assess whether the regulatory needs that prompted the monitoring efforts are met. This mechanism will also identify emerging scientific or regulatory needs, which can then inform future monitoring activities.
Given the large number of potentially concerning chemicals in the environment, a prioritisation process is essential to identify the chemicals or group of chemicals, matrices or endpoints, that require immediate attention. This process optimises monitoring efforts and resources by determining which chemicals or chemical groups to prioritize based on project goals, whether for research or regulatory compliance. For example, it may involve selecting chemicals to monitor within a specific environmental medium or compartment.
Based on a comprehensive literature review of existing prioritisation schemes, a current PARC project is developing and implementing a flexible, impartial, transparent, reproducible prioritisation framework. This framework is designed to be the first step in any monitoring project, allowing users to apply custom filters to categorise and rank chemicals within each category. The overarching goal is to connect the prioritisation framework to an early warning system under development PARC team on early warning system (EWS) on chemical risks. This system will alert stakeholders to potential hazards or risks associated with certain chemicals, providing timely information for decision-making and action.
The monitoring cycle will be assessed through a pilot study focused on two prioritised substance groups: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The pilot study aims to establish a baseline of PFAS and EDCs, assessing background environmental concentrations resulting from decades of production and use. It also seeks to characterise exposure routes and to evaluate the effectiveness of current management practices.
For the PFAS baseline, existing monitoring data from national schemes and research initiatives will be gathered. For the EDC baseline study, over 200 environmental samples are being collected across Europe. By integrating chemical analysis (including target and suspect screening) with effect-based testing (bioassays), the project aims to provide insights into EDCs and assess the contribution of endocrine-disrupting activity from various sources. Within the pilot study, specific case studies on PFAS are also being conducted to improve our understanding of pathways from sources to aquatic environments. Particular focus is given to PFAS precursor substances and their environmental fate, assessed using TOP-Assay. Non-target and suspect screening methods will be employed to develop a “PFAS fingerprinting”, which will help identify sources and improve understanding of PFAS pathways.
Non-target screening, suspect screening, the TOP-Assay and AOF/EOF analysis are among the innovative tools and methods used in PARC environmental and multi-source monitoring projects. More information on these methods can be found soon on the Thematic Area “Innovative tools and methods”.