Chemical Mixtures in the EU Population: Composition and Potential Risks

Overview

Journal Int J Environ Res Public Health

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Environmental Health
Public Health

Date 2022 May 28

PMID 35627658

Authors

Sebastian Socianu

Stephanie K Bopp

Eva Govarts

Liese Gilles

Jurgen Buekers

Marike Kolossa-Gehring

Thomas Backhaus

Antonio Franco

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Regulating chemical mixtures is a complex scientific and policy task. The aim of this study was to investigate typical mixtures and their potential risks based on internal exposure levels in the European population. Based on human biomonitoring (HBM) data made available via the HBM4EU project, we derived generic mixtures representative of a median (P50) and a worst-case scenario (P95) for adults and children. We performed a mixture risk assessment based on HBM concentrations, health-based guidance values (HBGVs) as internal thresholds of concern, and the conservative assumption of concentration addition applied across different toxicological endpoints. Maximum cumulative ratios (MCRs) were calculated to characterize the mixture risk. The mixtures comprise 136 biomarkers for adults and 84 for children, although concentration levels could be quantified only for a fraction of these. Due to limited availability of HBGVs, the mixture risk was assessed for a subset of 20 substance-biomarker pairs for adults and 17 for children. The mixture hazard index ranged from 2.8 (P50, children) to 9.2 (P95, adults). Six to seven substances contributed to over 95% of the total risk. MCR values ranged between 2.6 and 5.5, which is in a similar range as in previous studies based on human external exposures assessments. The limited coverage of substances included in the calculations and the application of a hazard index across toxicological endpoints argue for caution in the interpretation of the results. Nonetheless the analyses of MCR and MAF can help inform a possible mixture assessment factor (MAF) applicable to single substance risk assessment to account for exposure to unintentional mixtures.

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