Conducting Risk Assessments Research Articles

Gıda güvenliği açısından kakaolu keklerde akrilamid tehlikesinin araştırılması

Acrylamide is a toxic Maillard reaction product that occurs primarily in heat-treated products and has proven adverse effects on human health. Since bakery products are produced by applying heat treatment, they especially pose a risk regarding acrylamide formation. For public health, it is essential to determine the amount of acrylamide in bakery products that are widely consumed in the daily diet. The study aims to examine the amount of acrylamide in some cocoa cakes offered for sale in our country. The cocoa cakes, which were sold as packaged and unpackaged in chain markets and patisseries in Aydın province, were examined regarding acrylamide contents. Some significant compositional properties of the samples were also determined. Chromatographic analysis of acrylamide, after extraction, was carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography. The study determined that the acrylamide amounts of the cocoa cake samples varied between 34.36-311.95 µg/kg. No correlation was found between the colour values of the cocoa cake samples and their acrylamide content (p>0.05). Various scientific societies and legal organisations conduct risk assessment studies to examine the health effects of acrylamide exposure. As a result of these evaluations, risky foods are determined for some general or particular groups in society. The most appropriate production models are created for these foods, and exposure is minimised by limiting the levels of toxic substances. The study results will be a guide for reducing acrylamide exposure in cocoa cakes.

Sex differences in drug effects and/or toxicity in oncology

The prevalence, incidence, and severity of a wide variety of diseases and ailments are significantly influenced by the significant disparities that occur between the sexes. The way that men and women react to pharmacological treatment also varies. Therefore, it is crucial to comprehend these reactions in order to conduct risk assessment correctly and to develop safe and efficient therapies. Even from that limited vantage point, the manner and timing of our drug usage might have unintended and unanticipated consequences. There are sex-specific differences in the incidence and mortality of certain malignancies. One of the most important discoveries in cancer epidemiology is the gender inequalities. Cancer incidence differences between the sexes are thought to be regulated at the genetic and molecular levels and by sex hormones like oestrogen. Differences based on sex and gender are among the least investigated factors impacting cancer susceptibility, progression, survival, and therapy response despite their established importance in clinical care. The molecular mechanisms underlying sex differences in particular are poorly known, hence the majority of precision medicine approaches employ mutational or other genetic data to assign therapy without taking into account how the patient's sex may affect therapeutic efficacy. In patients receiving chemotherapy, there are definite gender-dependent disparities in response rates and the likelihood of side effects. This review explores the influence of sex as a biological variable in drug effects or toxicity in oncology.

Risk assessment in biomedical laboratories – occupational safety and health aspects

Introduction: Laboratory personnel (LP) represent a high-risk group of healthcare workers for whom the primary laboratory environment and specific work activities are a major source of potential exposure to health hazards. This study aimed to evaluate the developed matrix and assess risk based on self-assessment. Methods: This multicenter, qualitative, and cross-sectional study was conducted on LP employed in biomedical laboratories. The respondents were divided into groups according to their territorial affiliation. The data collection tool used was a six-area questionnaire distributed online through a network of professional associations. For the risk assessment, a matrix was developed with scores ranging from 0 to 650, dividing the risk level into four categories. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used for the statistical analysis. Results: The developed model combined the classification of risk and risk factors with a certainty of p < 0.001. The regression analysis showed that working conditions had the greatest influence on overall risk, followed by physical, biological, and physical hazards. Of the 640 respondents, the medium risk category was the highest in European Union (EU) countries (81.2%). Comparing the values in the high-risk category between the Bosnians and Herzegovinians (BiH) group and the Republic of Serbia, Republic of Northern Macedonia, and Montenegro (SCM) group with the EU group, a doubling (16.6%: 36.7%) and tripling (16.6%: 52.1%) of the proportion was found, respectively (p < 0.001). Overall, 1.7% of the LPs from BiH fell into the high-risk category. Conclusions: The designed matrix provides a reliable basis for identifying risk predictors in the study population and can serve as a useful tool for conducting risk assessments in biomedical laboratories. The results of the risk assessment indicate significant differences between the studied groups and highlight the need for increased control of BiH workplaces through new regulatory requirements.

A First-Tier Framework for Assessing Toxicological Risk from Vaporized Cannabis Concentrates.

Vaporization is an increasingly prevalent means to consume cannabis, but there is little guidance for manufacturers or regulators to evaluate additive safety. This paper presents a first-tier framework for regulators and cannabis manufacturers without significant toxicological expertise to conduct risk assessments and prioritize additives in cannabis concentrates for acceptance, elimination, or further evaluation. Cannabinoids and contaminants (e.g., solvents, pesticides, etc.) are excluded from this framework because of the complexity involved in their assessment; theirs would not be a first-tier toxicological assessment. Further, several U.S. state regulators have provided guidance for major cannabinoids and contaminants. Toxicological risk assessment of cannabis concentrate additives, like other types of risk assessment, includes hazard assessment, dose-response, exposure assessment, and risk characterization steps. Scarce consumption data has made exposure assessment of cannabis concentrates difficult and variable. Previously unpublished consumption data collected from over 54,000 smart vaporization devices show that 50th and 95th percentile users consume 5 and 57 mg per day on average, respectively. Based on these and published data, we propose assuming 100 mg per day cannabis concentrate consumption for first-tier risk assessment purposes. Herein, we provide regulators, cannabis manufacturers, and consumers a preliminary methodology to evaluate the health risks of cannabis concentrate additives.

Implementation of food matrix effects into chemical food contaminant risk assessment.

Food risk assessment plays an important role in protecting public health worldwide. Stakeholders involved in food risk assessment, such as national authorities, agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), industry and consumers, need to properly understand the terminology of food risk assessment effectively. In this respect, the first part of the EU-FORA work programme (WP1) aimed to provide insights into the actual translation of two essential terms used in food risk assessment. 'Hazard' and 'risk' were first identified and compared between the English version of various food regulations and their equivalents in the national legislation of EU Member States. The comparison and critical evaluation revealed several inconsistencies. These inconsistencies could lead to misinterpretations, followed by errors in conducting risk assessments or communicating risks. We recommend that consistency is restored and maintained so that the message is properly communicated. The second part of the work programme (WP2) was focused on a specific area within chemical risk assessment (CRA). In this context, special attention was given to the impact of the food matrix on the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of heavy metals and metalloids. After collection and careful selection of data from scientific journals, a database with information on the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) in different food matrices was created for future statistical analyses related to dietary exposure.

Surveying citizens on food safety

Surveying citizens on food safety

Implementation of one health approach in Jordan: Joint risk assessment of rabies and avian influenza utilizing the tripartite operational tool

BackgroundHealth challenges at the human-animal-environment interface vary and include zoonotic and food-borne diseases as well as antimicrobial resistance. These are serious threats to animal and public health, and account for the majority of emerging and re-emerging conditions or infectious diseases. Reducing zoonotic disease threats requires an understanding of where and why risks exist. To support countries in building multi-sectoral mechanisms to jointly assess the risks at the human–animal–environment interface, a new operational tool is available to complement the existing tripartite guide to addressing zoonotic diseases in countries. The aim of this study is to conduct joint risk assessment (JRA) of rabies and avian influenza in Jordan utilizing the tripartite Joint Risk Assessment Operational Tool (JRA OT).MethodsRepresentatives of sectors that are involved in zoonotic diseases outbreak investigation, control, surveillance and risk assessment, were trained on JRA OT. The operational tool of tripartite guide to addressing zoonotic diseases in countries that was developed by WHO (World Health Organization), FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and WOAH (World Organization for Animal Health) was utilized to conduct risk assessment for rabies and H5N1 avian influenza in Jordan.ResultsThe risk assessment outcome for rabies were as follows: Likelihood is high; impact is moderate with moderate level of uncertainty. The impact of the disease is moderate because the virus transmitted only by animal bite in Jordan. The level of uncertainty is moderate due to existence of some gaps in data available from the ministries regarding the surveillance and collection areas of wild animals with feral dogs. The risk assessment outcome for H5N1 AI indicated a low likelihood estimate with moderate uncertainty level. The impact estimate for H5N1 AI in Jordan is moderate with a low level of uncertainty.ConclusionsThe tripartite JRA OT provides a helpful and easy to follow guide to bring together expertise and information from all relevant sectors to jointly assess risks from zoonotic diseases and contributes to the understanding and management of shared threats at the human–animal–environment interface.

Human Health Risk Assessment for Nitrate intake in Lucknow, India

Abstract: It is important to apply the methods to set the standard for drinking water quality and to conduct risk assessments since access to potable water resources exposes people to a variety of chemical pollutants, including nitrate. Drinking water with high nitrate levels can be harmful to health, especially for infants and pregnant women. The main objective of the present study was to determine the distribution levels of nitrate contamination in groundwater and its associated impact on human health risks in Lucknow India. For this 32 groundwater samples were collected randomly during April 2022. Nitrate concentration in groundwater samples ranged from 7 to 108 mg/L, with a mean value of 41.35 mg/L. The geographic information system (ArcGIS 10.7.1) was applied to mapping the nitrate concentration in groundwater resources of the studied area. About 43.75% of the groundwater samples are exceeding the permissible limits of nitrate (45 mg/l). Hence health risk assessment of nitrate has been carried out. Hazard quotient (HQ) values for male, female, children, and infants ranges from 0.14 to 2.07; 0.16 to 2.45; 0.17 to 2.63, and 0.16 to 2.53, respectively. The finding of data showed that HQ value was more than 1 in 53..125% of samples in groups of infants and children, 50% of samples for female, and 43.75% of samples in group of male.

Elemental Composition of Above and Belowground Mangrove Tissue and Sediment in Managed and Unmanaged Compartments of the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve.

Mangrove productivity depends on the storage of nutrients and elements. Elemental concentrations were examined in leaves, roots, and sediments for three age stands (15, 25 years, and VJR) of Rhizophora apiculata in the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR). Six compartments with two compartments each for each age group were used to analyze sixteen elements. Four types of elemental patterns were examined with decreasing order during analysis: (1) Cd < Cu < Pb < Zn < Mg < Mn < Fe < K < Na < Ca and P% < S% < N% < C% in leaves, (2) Cd < Pb < Cu < Zn < Mg < Mn < Fe < K < Na < Ca and P% < S% < N% < C% in roots, (3) Cd < Pb < Cu < Zn < Mg < Mn < K < Fe < Na < Ca and P% < N% < S% < C% in sediment samples and (4) Cd(S) < Pb(S) < Cu(S) < Zn(S) < Mg(S) < Mn(L) < K(L) < Fe(S) < Na(R) < Ca(R) and P%(S) < S%(S) < N%(L) < C%(R) collectively for all samples. Evidence that elements do not store primarily in above-ground biomass can be found in the observation that elements are stored more in sediment and roots. The outcome of the present study shows that the rate of increase of elements in trees (leaves and roots) was less as compared to sediments, where the elemental concentration increased considerably with time. Elemental concentration comparison within three age classes showed that C, N, and S were significantly different in all three types of samples. The δ15N ratios showed positive values in all six compartments which supported the concept that the δ15N ratio could not be observed in N concentration in this study. The δ13C values showed more negative values in all six compartments which represented less salinity and a freshwater intake. The S, P, and heavy metals concentrations were high. The concentrations of Cd, P, N, C, and S in the sediment influenced variations in four compartments in accordance with the three mangrove age groups. The results of this study can be utilized to create management plans for MMFR and conduct risk assessments of the elements' concentration in sediment.

Risk Assessment of Arbaeen Mass Gathering in the Covid-19 Pandemic.

IntroductionArbaeen is a religious ceremony held annually with the participation of a large number of pilgrims. During the pandemic of Covid-19, a mass gathering of Arbaeen pilgrims can strengthen the transmission of this disease and put more pressure on the health care system of countries. The aim of the study is to evaluate the risk of Arbaeen ceremony in the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.Materials and methodsA mixed method was performed to perform the study using qualitative and quantitative methods. A national risk assessment tool was used that consisted of hazard identification and assessment, scenario development, exposure assessment, vulnerability assessment and risk estimation. The national risk assessment tool was completed through a focused group discussion and the opinions of 20 representatives of the health system and the level of risks were estimated. Data were collected, analyzed, and integrated by the research team.ResultsBased on the results of risk matrix analysis, factors such as the increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19, the probability of exposure to a new variant of COVID-19, the probability of arrival of a new variant of COVID-19 to the country, the probability of increasing referrals to healthcare facilities (score 16), the probability of getting respiratory diseases, and the environmental contamination (score 12) occupied the red area of the matrix and were found to have the highest risk (unbearable risk), that needs immediate action.ConclusionPreparing for a mass gathering such as Arbaeen is very important in order to reduce the risk of communicable disease, and the first step in improving preparedness is risk assessment and its continuity in the various stages of the ceremony. Therefore, policy makers and planners of such events should conduct risk assessments with the participation of local and national public health authorities regularly.

Study of a BIM-Based Cyber-Physical System and Intelligent Disaster Prevention System in Taipei Main Station

Because of its large area and complicated space utilization, in the event of a disaster, rescue efforts in specific areas of Taipei Main Station would be difficult. In addition, rescue efforts are also difficult to implement, because each area is managed by different units. In order to ensure emergency and safe evacuation of passengers and reduce the loss of related property during a disaster, a suitable disaster prevention system is required. This study conducted risk assessment based on the triggering factors of disaster types over the years. After synthesizing the results of the disaster risk assessment, a disaster preparedness contingency plan was designed. According to the Incident Command System (ICS), this study formulated the usual management measures and emergency response procedures for various levels of disasters. When an accident occurs, the system can automatically initiate various emergency disaster relief measures, monitor the development of the incident, transmit disaster information, and coordinate disaster emergency response procedures. This study established a building information modeling (BIM)-based cyber-physical system (CPS) and intelligent disaster prevention system integrated under the overall management of the Intelligent Joint Emergency Operation Center. The “Taipei Main Station Intelligent Disaster Prevention System” can manage the disaster prevention and relief information of various business entities in a unified way, and provide an intelligent disaster prevention function integrating BIM and virtual reality (VR). This system is functionally verified through exercises such as short-circuiting of wires in advertising boxes, firefighter disaster relief drills, indiscriminate violent attacks, and demolition of explosives. In this study, ICS was established through expert interviews, disaster-causing factors over the years, and a cloud-based electronic management system was established in combination with the BIM platform. The system provides emergency and safe evacuation of passengers in the event of a disaster, and reduces the loss of related properties.

Impact of Implementation of Information Security Risk Management and Security Controls on Cyber Security Maturity (A Case Study at Data Management Applications of XYZ Institute)

Information security is an important concern for governments and industry due to the increase in cyber attacks during Covid-19. The government is obliged to maintain information security in implementing an Electronic-Based Government System following Presidential Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 95 of 2018. To overcome this problem, the XYZ Institute needs an approach to implementing information security risk management and information security controls. This study aims to risk identification, risk analysis, risk evaluation, risk treatment, risk acceptance, risk control, and analysis of cyber security maturity gaps in the domain of governance, identification, protection, detection, and response. ISO/IEC 27005:2018 as guidance for conducting risk assessments. The code of practice for information security control uses the ISO/IEC 27002:2013 standard and assessing maturity using the cyber security maturity model version 1.10 developed by the National Cyber and Crypto Agency of the Republic of Indonesia. The results show that the cyber maturity value increased from 3.19 to 4.06 after implementing 12 new security controls.

Statin Utilization Trend in Primary and Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases in a Teaching Hospital

Objective To conduct risk assessment and assess the choice of statins with regard to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Methodology This is a cross-sectional observation study conducted on 500 patients visiting a teaching hospital. Medical records were used to obtain patient characteristics and type, dose, and regimen of prescribed statin. Prescribed statin dose was evaluated using standard prescribing guidelines by American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association. Result Out of the 500 patients studied, 70% (350) of patients were prescribed statin therapy for a CVD and 30% had at least 1 CVD risk factor. Proportion of males was higher. Mean age of patients with statin therapy for coexisting CVD was 61.16 ± 12.87. Among those with at least 1 cardiovascular risk factor but without CVD, 66% had risk score more than 7.5 out of 10 suggestive of high risk for CVDs within 10 years. Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin were the preferred choice of statin therapy, with higher preference for atorvastatin. Dosing criteria were well-met for secondary prevention; whereas, underdosing was prevalent among users of fixed-dose combinations and among patients prescribed a statin for primary prevention of CVDs. Conclusion Lack of use of risk scores may lead to underdosing and underutilization of statins.

An integrated risk assessment methodology based on fuzzy TOPSIS and cloud inference for urban polyethylene gas pipelines

Due to the superior performance of polyethylene (PE) gas pipes, an increasing number of PE pipelines are being used in urban areas. However, PE gas pipelines are basically located in densely populated areas with high consequences. Once a leak occurs, combustion and explosion accidents can easily happen causing a major threat to human life and property. Furthermore, the assessment results of the common risk assessment methods often have great uncertainty and deviation. It is difficult to accurately identify the main indicators that need priority management. To address these problems, this paper proposes a novel methodology by integrating a fuzzy TOPSIS model and cloud inference for conducting risk assessments of urban PE gas pipelines. The developed methodology is composed of two branches. In the first branch, a rapid risk assessment model for PE pipelines is established to determine whether there are some special emergency situations, which can be directly identified as high risk. In the second branch, a detailed risk assessment process is adopted to obtain the final result, which mainly includes risk factor analysis, risk status assessment and risk classification. Among them, risk factor analysis is used to establish a risk index system and develop a risk index management strategy by means of mathematical statistics and the fuzzy TOPSIS analysis method. The risk status assessment is used to determine the final risk value based on the virtual cloud and fault tree analysis, which is mainly realized by the triangular fuzzy number, structural entropy weight method and backward cloud transformation algorithm. Finally, the risk assessment results of PE gas pipelines are clearly presented in the form of cloud inference, and the final risk classification is determined. The case study shows that the pipeline in this section is at the medium risk level, and the management of time-related indicators and third-party damage is given priority. The result is consistent with the actual situation, which verifies the effectiveness and practicability of the methodology.

The money laundering and terrorist financing risks of new and disruptive technologies: a futures-oriented scoping review

New and disruptive technologies, including cryptocurrencies and new payment methods, are revolutionising the way people engage with finance. Although they provide significant benefits to consumers, they are also inadvertently creating new money laundering and terrorist financing risks. This paper examines the risks that are, or are predicted to be, prevalent in three technology sectors—distributed ledger technologies (including cryptocurrencies), new payment methods and financial technologies (FinTech), through a systematic scoping review process. Specifically, the paper identifies enablers of both crimes, the precise criminal methods they might facilitate, at-risk stakeholders (of exploitation and/or complicity) and risk characteristics. The study involves systematic scoping reviews of the academic and futures literatures as well as a consultation exercise with experts to assess the likely veracity of the findings. In addition to identifying an array of specific risks, we identify six underlying trends that facilitate them. We discuss these, their policy implications, future directions for research and their benefit for conducting risk assessments to assess forthcoming technological developments.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1057/s41284-022-00356-z.

Sub-inhibitory concentrations of cefotaxime treatment enhances biofilm formation of monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium variant strain SH16SP46.

Salmonella is one of the most important foodborne and zoonotic pathogens, and monophasic S. Typhimurium is ranked among the top-five Salmonella serovars causing animal and human infections worldwide. Resistance to the third- and higher-generation cephalosporins in Salmonella has attracted great attention. Bacteria are frequently exposed to sub-minimal inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of antimicrobials that can trigger diverse adaptive responses such as biofilm formation. Biofilms can promote bacterial defense to external and internal harsh conditions. This study aimed to investigate the effect of sub-MICs of cefotaxime, one of the third-generation cephalosporins, on biofilm formation by non-clinical S. enterica strains. Crystal violet staining demonstrated that cefotaxime at 1/8 MIC enhanced biofilm formation by two monophasic S. Typhimurium strains. Confocal laser scanning microscopy and enzymatic treatment assay revealed that cellulose was the most dominant extracellular matrix component contributing to Salmonella biofilm formation. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that cefotaxime treatment led to bacterial incomplete cell division and filamentous morphology during the whole process of biofilm formation. Our study is the first to report the enhancement effect of cefotaxime on non-clinical, monophasic S. Typhimurium by affecting bacterial morphology. The results will contribute to conducting risk assessments of Salmonella in the pork production chain and guiding the rational use of antimicrobial agents to reduce the risk of biofilm formation.

Impacts of risk assessment data, assumptions, and methods: Considering the evidence for diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione.

The articles published as part of the Frontiers in Public Health research topic, “Investigating exposures and respiratory health in coffee workers” present research findings that better characterize exposures to diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione and inform our understanding of the health risks posed by these exposures. Although various research groups and organizations have conducted risk assessments to derive occupational exposure limits (OELs) for diacetyl, differences in the data used and assumptions made in these efforts have resulted in a wide range of recommended OELs designed to protect human health. The primary drivers of these differences include the decision to use data from human or animal studies in conducting a quantitative risk assessment, and the application of uncertainty factors (UF) to derive an OEL. This Perspectives paper will discuss the practical implications of these decisions, and present additional commentary on the potential role that the recent investigation of human exposures to relatively low concentrations of α-diketones, specifically diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione, may play in supporting qualitative or quantitative human health risk assessments.

An Integrated Multiattribute Group Decision-Making Approach for Risk Assessment in Aviation Emergency Rescue

An effective risk assessment approach for assessing the risk level of aviation emergency rescue is essential to aviation emergency management. Therefore, this study is aimed at extending a novel integrated multiattribute group decision-making (MAGDM) approach to conduct risk assessment in aviation emergency rescue. First, a combined improved Swiss cheese model and fault tree analysis method are used to build the index system for risk assessment. Next, the weight vector for risk assessment is calculated using the consensus-based improved analytic hierarchy process (IAHP). Then, based on the traditional technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) method, we improve the definition express of ideal solution and the standardized formula of indexes, thereby providing a consensus-based improved TOPSIS method to compute the evaluation matrix for risk assessment. Finally, the weight vector and evaluation matrix are combined to estimate the risk level of aviation emergency rescue. As aviation emergency rescue in a sudden natural disaster an example, we illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method and demonstrate its effectiveness by comparative analysis with some similar approaches. The proposed approach can evaluate the safety status of aviation emergency rescue operations, which provides a starting point for the improvement of aviation emergency rescue.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus Is Associated with Diarrhea Cases in Mexico, with a Dominance of Pandemic O3:K6 Clones.

In the present study, we conducted surveillance of the V. parahaemolyticus strains present in clinical samples from six geographical regions of Mexico (22 states) from 2004 to 2011. The serotype dominance, virulence genes, presence of pandemic O3:K6 strains, and antibiotic resistance of the isolates were investigated. In total, 144 strains were isolated from the clinical samples. Seven different O serogroups and twenty-five serovars were identified. Most clinical isolates (66%, 95/144) belonged to the pandemic clone O3:K6 (tdh+, toxRS/new+ and/or orf8+) and were detected in 20 of the 22 states. Among the pandemic clones, approximately 17.8% (17/95) of the strains cross-reacted with the antisera for the K6 and K59 antigens (O3:K6, K59 serotype). Other pathogenic strains (tdh+ and/or trh+, toxRS/new−, orf8−) accounted for 26.3%, and the nonpathogenic strains (tdh− and/or trh−) accounted for 7.6%. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that most of the strains were resistant to ampicillin (99.3%) but were sensitive to most tested antibiotics. The level of multidrug resistance was 1.3%. Our results indicate that pandemic O3:K6 is present in most Mexican states, thus, constant surveillance of V. parahaemolyticus strains in diarrhea patients is a public health priority and is useful for conducting risk assessments of foodborne illnesses to prevent V. parahaemolyticus outbreaks. Overall, our observations indicate that the pandemic O3:K6 clone of V. parahaemolyticus has become a relatively stable subpopulation and may be endemically established in Mexico; therefore, constant surveillance is needed to avoid new outbreaks of this pathogen.

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Implementation: How the Amended Law Has Failed to Protect Vulnerable Populations from Toxic Chemicals in the United States.

Exposures to industrial chemicals are widespread and can increase the risk of adverse health effects such as cancer, developmental disorders, respiratory effects, diabetes, and reproductive problems. The amended Toxic Substances Control Act (amended TSCA) requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate risks of chemicals in commerce, account for risk to potentially exposed and susceptible populations, and mitigate risks for chemicals determined to pose an unreasonable risk to human health and the environment. This analysis compares EPA’s first 10 chemical risk evaluations under amended TSCA to best scientific practices for conducting risk assessments. We find EPA’s risk evaluations underestimated human health risks of chemical exposures by excluding conditions of use and exposure pathways; not considering aggregate exposure and cumulative risk; not identifying all potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations, and not quantifying differences in risk for susceptible groups; not addressing data gaps; and using flawed systematic review approaches to identify and evaluate the relevant evidence. We present specific recommendations for improving the implementation of amended TSCA using the best available science to ensure equitable, socially just safeguards to public health. Failing to remedy these shortcomings will result in continued systematic underestimation of risk for all chemicals evaluated under amended TSCA.