Methodology for national risk analysis and prioritization of toxic industrial chemicals.
The identification of chemicals that pose the greatest threat to human health from incidental releases is a cornerstone in public health preparedness for chemical threats. The present study developed and applied a methodology for the risk analysis and prioritization of industrial chemicals to identify the most significant chemicals that pose a threat to public health in Finland. The prioritization criteria included acute and chronic health hazards, physicochemical and environmental hazards, national production and use quantities, the physicochemical properties of the substances, and the history of substance-related incidents. The presented methodology enabled a systematic review and prioritization of industrial chemicals for the purpose of national public health preparedness for chemical incidents.
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland. piia.taxell@ttl.fi
Piia
P
Taxell
Kerstin
K
Engström
Juha
J
Tuovila
Martin
M
Söderström
Harri
H
Kiljunen
Paula
P
Vanninen
Tiina
T
Santonen
D002617:Chemical Industry; D003625:Data Collection; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D058735:Environmental Policy; D005387:Finland; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000633:toxicity*
D015262:Xenobiotics