Chemical assessments methods
The International Program on Chemical safety (IPCS) work in the field of methodology aims to promote the development, harmonization and use of generally acceptable, scientifically sound methodologies for the evaluation of risks to human health from exposure to chemicals. The results of such work enhance sharing of risk assessment products and avoid duplication of effort. The work includes the development of general principles of various areas of risk assessment, published as Environmental Health Criteria, and guidance documents published in the Harmonization Project series. Emerging issues may be addressed in ad hoc reports.
Key areas
Publications
WHO Human Health Risk Assessment Toolkit: Chemical...
Publications: Harmonization Project series
IPCS Risk Assessment Terminology
The WHO/IPCS Harmonization Project has addressed a number of exposure assessment issues, resulting in this guidance and in the IPCS harmonization project...
Chemical-specific adjustment factors for interspecies differences and human variability : guidance document...
In 2005 WHO published guidance for risk assessors on the use of chemical-specific toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic data to address interspecies differences...
The WHO/IPCS Harmonization Project has addressed a number of exposure assessment issues, resulting in this guidance and in the IPCS harmonization project...
IPCS mode of action framework
Part 1: IPCS framework for analysing the relevance of a cancer mode of action for humans and case-studiesPart 2: IPCS framework for analysing the relevance...
Uncertainty and data quality in exposure assessment
The WHO/IPCS Harmonization Project has addressed a number of exposure assessment issues, resulting in this guidance and in the IPCS harmonization project...
Assessment of combined exposures to multiple chemicals: report of a WHO/IPCS international workshop on...
Report of a WHO/IPCS international workshop on aggregate/cumulative risk assessment.
WHO Human Health Risk Assessment Toolkit: Chemical Hazards
The purpose of the WHO Human Health Risk Assessment Toolkit: Chemical Hazards is to provide its users with guidance to identify, acquire and use the information...
Guidance document on evaluating and expressing uncertainty in hazard characterization, 2nd edition
Guidance on Evaluating and Expressing Uncertainty in Hazard Assessment is available in Harmonization Project Document No. 11, 2nd Edition (2017). The 2nd...
Journal articles
- IPCS Conceptual Framework for Evaluating a Mode of Action for Chemical Carcinogenesis
C. Sonich-Mullin, R. Fielder, J. Wiltse, K. Baetcke, J. Dempsey, P. Fenner-Crisp, D. Grant, M. Hartley, A. Knaap, D. Kroese, I. Mangelsdorf, E. Meek, J. M. Rice, M. Younes, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology Vol. 34, No. 2, October 1, 2001
- IPCS Framework for Analyzing the Relevance of a Cancer Mode of Action for Humans
Alan R. Boobis, Samuel M. Cohen, Vicki Dellarco, Douglas McGregor, M. E. (Bette) Meek, Carolyn Vickers, Deborah Willcocks and William Farland, Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2006, Vol. 36, No. 10 : Pages 781-792 - IPCS Framework for Analyzing the Relevance of a Noncancer Mode of Action for Humans
Alan R. Boobis, John E. Doe, Barbara Heinrich-Hirsch, M. E. (Bette) Meek, Sharon Munn, Mathuros Ruchirawat, Josef Schlatter, Jennifer Seed and Carolyn Vickers, Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2008, Vol. 38, No. 2 : Pages 87-96 - Mutagenicity testing for chemical risk assessment: update of the WHO/IPCS Harmonized Scheme
David A. Eastmond, Andrea Hartwig, Diana Anderson, Wagida A. Anwar, Michael C. Cimino, Ivan Dobrev, George R. Douglas, Takehiko Nohmi, David H. Phillips and Carolyn Vickers, Mutagenesis (2009) 24 (4): 341-349 - Risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals: A WHO/IPCS framework
M.E. (Bette) Meek, Alan R. Boobis, Kevin M. Crofton, Gerhard Heinemeyer, Marcel Van Raaij, Carolyn Vickers, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology Volume 60, Issue 2, Supplement, Pages S1-S14, 1 July 2011 - New developments in the evolution and application of the WHO/IPCS framework on mode of action/species concordance analysis
M. E. Meek, A. Boobis, I. Cote, V. Dellarco, G. Fotakis, S. Munn, J. Seed and C. Vickers. Article first published online: 25 October 2013 | DOI: 10.1002/jat.2949 - Evolution of Chemical-Specific Adjustment Factors (CSAF) based on recent international experience; Increasing utility and facilitating regulatory acceptance
Virunya S. Bhat, M.E. (Bette) Meek, Mathieu Valcke, Caroline English, Alan Boobis, Richard Brown, Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2017, Vol. 47, No.9: Pages 733-753. DOI: 10.1080/10408444.2017.1303818
IPCS publications and projects on risk assessment methodology
A detailed review of research findings and methodological concepts that can guide efforts to characterize the susceptibility of the aged population to...
Principles and methods for assessing autoimmunity associated with exposure to chemicals
Autoimmunity is characterized by the reaction of cells (autoreactive T lymphocytes) or products (autoantibodies) of the immune system against...
Biomarkers and risk assessment : concepts and principles
Analysis of tissues and body fluids for chemicals, metabolites of chemicals, enzymes and other biochemical substances has been used to document the interaction...
Biomarkers in risk assessment : validity and validation
The aim of risk assessments is to provide society with estimates of the likelihood of illnesses and injury as a consequence of exposure to various hazards....
Principles for evaluating health risks in children associated with exposure to chemicals
Published under the joint sponsorship of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Labour Organization and the World Health...
Principles and methods to assess the risk of immunotoxicity associated with exposure to nanomaterials
Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are being applied in various nanotechnology products and are used in consumer products such as cosmetics and food;...
Integrated risk assessment : report prepared for the WHO/UNEP/ILO International Programme on Chemical...
Historically, human health and environmental risk assessment methodologies have generally developed independently. Regulatory agencies often use a chemical-by-chemical...
Journal articles and other related content
- Reproduction: Devtox web site
A web-based resource on developmental toxicology (Harmonization project)