Open AccessAdvances in Assessing Hazard and Risk to Emerging Threats and Emergency Response: Comparing and Contrasting Efforts of 3 Federal Agencies
Author(s) -
Moiz Mumtaz,
Rich A Nickle,
Jason C. Lambert,
Mark S. Johnson
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
toxicological sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.352
H-Index - 183
eISSN - 1096-6080
pISSN - 1096-0929
DOI - 10.1093/toxsci/kfab126
Subject(s) - hazard , risk assessment , toxicogenomics , hazard analysis , risk analysis (engineering) , extant taxon , computer science , observational study , business , human health , work (physics) , computer security , environmental health , engineering , medicine , biology , reliability engineering , ecology , biochemistry , gene expression , pathology , evolutionary biology , gene , mechanical engineering
Federal statutes authorize several agencies to protect human populations from chemical emergencies and provide guidance to evacuate, clean, and reoccupy affected areas. Each of the authorized federal agencies has developed programs to provide managers, public health officials, and regulators, with a rapid assessment of potential hazards and risks associated with chemical emergencies. Emergency responses vary based on exposure scenarios, routes, temporal considerations, and the substance(s) present. Traditional chemical assessments and derivation of toxicity values are time-intensive, typically requiring large amounts of human epidemiological and experimental animal data. When a rapid assessment of health effects is needed, an integrated computational approach of augmenting extant toxicity data with in vitro (new alternative toxicity testing methods) data can provide a quick, evidence-based solution. In so doing, multiple streams of data can be used, including literature searches, hazard, dose-response, physicochemical, environmental fate, transport property data, in vitro cell bioactivity testing, and toxicogenomics. The field of toxicology is moving, towards increased use of this approach as it transforms from observational to predictive science. The challenge is to objectively and transparently derive toxicity values using this approach to protect human health and the environment. Presented here are examples and efforts toward rapid risk assessment that demonstrate unified, parallel, and complementary work to provide timely protection in times of chemical emergency.