Assessing Human Exposure to Chemicals in Materials, Products and Articles: The International Risk Management Landscape for Phthalates

Abstract

Risk-based chemical safety assessments are increasingly being conducted to support chemical management decisions and informed substitution to protect public health. Rapid evaluation and prioritization of large numbers of chemicals used in materials, products, and other indoor articles has become a major focus of chemical risk management strategies. Internationally, although a shared understanding of the value of rapid risk-based evaluations appears to be emerging, implementation strategies and associated management decisions vary from one agency and jurisdiction to another. This paper highlights the international chemical risk management landscape focusing on phthalates as an example, and reviews how phthalate exposure assessments have been performed, resulting at times in different decisions based on the application of scientific information within different policy contexts. In general, the need for efficient and effective risk-based assessment approaches is driving increased needs for high-quality exposure data and validated, mechanistic exposure models. Further development of mechanistic models and related parameters will reduce uncertainties in exposure estimates and support scientific risk-based evaluations of chemical/product combinations for a variety of decisions.

Hallazgo de diclofenaco en un producto fitoterapéutico a base de caléndula comercializado en Colombia

“…); este último es un ion "diagnóstico", pico de base en los espectros MS de ftalatos (ésteres del ácido tereftálico) 15,25 , que se pueden encontrar en muchos productos (tapas, recipientes, envolturas, productos químicos, solventes industriales, polímeros, perfumes, productos agroquímicos, etc.) 28 .…”

Relative risk assessment of Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and alternative plasticizers: Application of consumer exposure tools and damage functions

“…The general population, who may be of any age and in any state of health, could be exposed to chemical substances by using consumer products or by being present when others are using products (ECHA, 2016). The rapid assessment and prioritization of the numerous chemicals in consumer product and article categories is a major focus of chemical risk management policies (Eichler et al, 2019). Chemical exposures are typically studied by the actual measurement of the exposure concentration.…”

“…These two major factors challenge the execution of experimental studies. Hence, the need for efficient and effective risk-based assessment approaches drives the increased need for validated exposure models (Eichler et al, 2019). Additionally, it is important to determine the exposure dose for each route of inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption when considering the risk reduction countermeasures (Shi and Zhao, 2014).…”

“…The history of developing the mathematical models of SVOC exposure has been described in detail by Liang et al (2019). Concerning applications to the chemical substance management system, the consumer exposure estimation tools recommended for REACH are shown by ECHA (2016) and Eichler et al (2019). Among them, the consumer exposure models (CEM) of the US EPA and the integrated exposure for risk assessment in indoor environments (INTERA) of the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) support indoor SVOC exposure.…”

Assessing Human Exposure to SVOCs in Materials, Products, and Articles: A Modular Mechanistic Framework

“…Rapid risk-based prioritization of large numbers of chemicals in numerous building materials, consumer products, and consumer articles used indoors (here collectively referred to as sources) has become an increasing focus of chemical management strategies to protect humans from potentially harmful exposures. − Although these strategies emphasize the need for high-quality, representative exposure data and mechanistic (i.e., process-based) exposure models, approaches for implementation are highly fragmented among countries, authorities, and research institutions. , We need to implement more efficiently the current understanding of fundamental mechanisms governing indoor exposure to chemicals released from sources. This is especially true for semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) due to their multimedia behavior.…”