Summary Research Q7 – Uncertainty factors in risk assessment
Uncertainty factors in risk assessment
Health:
- Human biology (genetic make-up)
- Health care organization (possibilities to improve health, treat patients)
- Lifestyle (factor you can control)
- Environment (what comes to us from outside – food, inhalation etc.)
Toxicology: the study of the adverse effects of xenobiotics in living systems. Applies safety evaluation
and risk assessment to the discipline. This concerns food contaminants, medicines, natural
stimulants, drugs of abuse, environmental pollutants, consumer products, and chemicals at the work
place.
“It is the dose that makes the poison.”
Most deadly poison in the world: botox > can be useful if you dose it in de right way.
Important questions for a toxicologist to answer in a situation where potential toxic compounds are
involved:
- Is the compound toxic?
- What are the harmful effects? What is the exposure?
- How large is the risk for man, animals and environment?
- Why is the compound toxic? What is the mechanism of action?
Benzene is more toxic than toluene due to formation of toxic metabolites.
Doses:
Exposition phase: Behaviour of a substance in the environment, changes in the application
form, available for uptake.
, Toxicokinetic phase: Absorption, distribution, biotransformation (toxification, detoxification),
excretion.
Toxicodynamic phase: Interactions with receptors or other (macro)molecules at the site of the
operation.
Dose response for non-carcinogens
Dose response for carcinogens
Risk = hazard x exposure
Uncertainty factors in risk assessment
Health:
- Human biology (genetic make-up)
- Health care organization (possibilities to improve health, treat patients)
- Lifestyle (factor you can control)
- Environment (what comes to us from outside – food, inhalation etc.)
Toxicology: the study of the adverse effects of xenobiotics in living systems. Applies safety evaluation
and risk assessment to the discipline. This concerns food contaminants, medicines, natural
stimulants, drugs of abuse, environmental pollutants, consumer products, and chemicals at the work
place.
“It is the dose that makes the poison.”
Most deadly poison in the world: botox > can be useful if you dose it in de right way.
Important questions for a toxicologist to answer in a situation where potential toxic compounds are
involved:
- Is the compound toxic?
- What are the harmful effects? What is the exposure?
- How large is the risk for man, animals and environment?
- Why is the compound toxic? What is the mechanism of action?
Benzene is more toxic than toluene due to formation of toxic metabolites.
Doses:
Exposition phase: Behaviour of a substance in the environment, changes in the application
form, available for uptake.
, Toxicokinetic phase: Absorption, distribution, biotransformation (toxification, detoxification),
excretion.
Toxicodynamic phase: Interactions with receptors or other (macro)molecules at the site of the
operation.
Dose response for non-carcinogens
Dose response for carcinogens
Risk = hazard x exposure
