Something from nothing? Ensuring the safety of chemical mixtures

Abstract

Headlines\n- Humans and the environment are exposed to a cocktail of chemicals from different sources.\n- Combined exposure to multiple chemicals can lead to health/ environmental effects even if single substances in the mixture do not exceed safe levels.\n- The assessment and management of mixtures is only partly covered by current legislation, which focuses on single substances in isolated sectors.\n- Methodology to address mixture risks is available, yet many knowledge gaps need to be filled. In particular, real co-exposure patterns are mostly unknown.\n- JRC is performing research on new strategies to assess the combination effects of chemicals.