SaferWorldbyDesign: Insights into exposure assessments within the SSbD Framework

Within the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approach, the safety and sustainability of chemicals to be used materials/products are being evaluated. The principles of the SSbD approach include i) safety, ii) environmentally sustainable, and iii) socially and economically sustainable, of which safety aspects have been highlighted to be considered first during an SSbD assessment. Demonstrating safe use of a chemical/material are covered by the first 3 steps of the SSbD Framework: Step 1 covers the hazard assessment, Step 2 covers the Human health and safety aspects in the chemical/material production and processing phase, and Human health and environmental aspects in the final application phase are covered by Step 3. Input from all 3 steps is needed in order to evaluate safe use. 

An exposure assessment, required for steps 2 & 3, can be based on experimental or modelled data, and requires input data on not only the chemical/material itself but also on production processes, safety measures, end-users, etc. All this information is used to develop relevant exposure scenarios that will estimate exposure levels for workers, consumers and the environment at the various life-cycle stages of the material/product.

In this presentation we will cover the principles of exposure assessment for human health as well as the environment. An overview will be given on in-silico tools that are available and the input that is required to perform the exposure assessments. Some examples on exposure scenario developments will be given based on case studies from ongoing projects.

Speaker: Wouter Gebbink (VITO)