Risk assessment for chemical substances: the link between toxicology and public health

Abstract

Virtually all chemical substances may cause adverse health effects, depending on the dose and conditions under which individuals are exposed to them. Toxicology - the study of harmful effects of chemicals on living organisms - provides the scientific data base on which risk assessment of adverse health effects stands. Risk assessment (RA) is the process of estimating the probability that a chemical compound will produce adverse effects on a given population, under particular conditions of exposure. Risk assessment process consists of four stages: Hazard Identification (HI), Exposure Assessment (EA), Dose-Response Assessment (DRA), and Risk Characterization (RC). The risk assessment process as a whole makes it possible to carry out cost(risk)/benefit analysis, and thus risk management, on a rational basis. A capacity to undertake risk assessment is thus sine qua non for making decisions that are concerned with achieving a balance between economic development and adequate protection of public health and the environment.

Caffeine as an environmental indicator for assessing urban aquatic ecosystems

“…Environmental toxicology deals with the effects of a category of poison (toxic chemicals) on different ecosystems and the basic scientific principles which allow discovery and measurement of environmental pollution effects. The predominant pharmacological aspects related to environmental hazards are becoming fundamental components in the prevention of public health risks 19 . The field of toxicology was developed mainly in order to develop better drugs, but it is also necessary to understand the environmental reactions to chemical substances, mainly due to the harmful effects of pollution on the environment caused by the extensive consumption of pharmaceuticals, an issue directly related to the shortcomings of microbiological indicators.…”

O uso de medicamentos na gravidez

“…Segundo Skolbekken (1995), a palavra risco tem várias conotações semânticas -perigo, probabilidade, incerteza, chance -e seu emprego usualmente perpassa todas elas. Um sentido mais direcionado é oferecido por Paumgartten (1993), para quem risco seria a probabilidade de ocorrência de um efeito adverso em uma população, dadas condições particulares de exposição. A ocorrência de eventos adversos a medicamentos relaciona-se tanto às características da exposição quanto àquelas da população exposta.…”

Futuros desafios na harmonização da legislação global de segurança dos alimentos

“…A avaliação de risco é o processo de estimar a probabilidade de um agente químico ou biológico causar efeitos adversos numa dada população, sob condições particulares de exposição. Ela fornece uma base racional para as decisões de saúde pública, permitindo ao administrador de saúde pública ponderar sobre os riscos do perigo para saúde humana e os custos advindos das medidas necessárias para redução dos mesmos (PAUMGARTTEN, 1993).…”