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Risk Assessment Methods


Risk assessment is a crucial part of risk management that ultimately feeds into legislation and official recommendations on the protection of human health. Health risk assessments of chemicals are based largely on data from toxicological studies on animals that are evaluated and extrapolated to represent the human situation.

 

Risk assessment is the process of quantifying the likelihood of, forexample, chemical exposure having a harmful effect on individuals orpopulations. In this case, a risk assessor would weigh the toxicity ofa substance against how much people are exposed to it, and produce aceiling value for exposure to this particular substance.

 

New molecular biology methods, such as the ones developed within CASCADE, play an important part in risk assessment by clarifying the mechanisms of toxicity for a chemical and the relevance for human health.

 

In CASCADE, we refine existing mathematical modelling methods for toxicological and exposure data to ensure that research results are put to optimal use and give a risk assessment that is as reliable as possible.  We have also started a European network in CASCADE called MSTnet (Mathematical and Statistical Tools net), which, in being open for non-CASCADE researchers. For more information please contact helen.hakansson@ki.se.

 

One of the objectives of CASCADE is to integrate the experimental research being conducted within the network with the risk assessment activities. By visiting our CASCADE Model Compounds website you will have access to risk assessment information related to our research activities.

 

 

Would you like to read more about health risk assessment?

 

"Health Risk Assessment of Chemical Contaminants in Food" (pdf).