Chapter 12 - Mixtures

Abstract

This chapter reveals that chemical mixtures are characteristic of life. Chemicals in a mixture interact in a way that results in a reduced or increased overall response, compared to the sum of the responses of the individual chemicals in the mixture, or indeed in an effect that is simply a summation of the expected effects. Approaches to dealing with risk assessment of mixtures rely heavily on some form of additivity model, unless data are adequate for a direct risk assessment of the mixture of concern. The number of mixtures to which direct risk assessment or risk assessment using the relative-potency method have been devoted, is limited. The theoretical considerations in the risk assessment of chemical mixtures should be verified by simple case studies.