The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has published a review of methods for early identification of new and emerging chemical risks in the workplace, which it calls "risk-first" methods.
Despite efforts to control workplace risks, hazardous chemicals still cause 3000 deaths among workers every year, RIVM said in a report published on 28 April.
A "disease first" approach to identify risks is part of the problem. Normally, occupational health experts can identify such risks only after observing an association between the chemical and the illness within the worker population.
A risk-first approach aims to identify risks before workers become ill, using predictions based on known information about hazards and exposures, the authority said.
RIVM reviewed a range of methods developed by research institutes and regulatory agencies. In addition to methods developed by RIVM, the review covered:
- the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA);
- ECHA;
- the European Commission;
- the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA);
- the OECD; and
- the US EPA.
The review also covered methods developed by multi-stakeholder collaborations, such as the Partnership for the Assessment of Risks for Chemicals (PARC), the Dutch national expertise centre for substance-related occupational diseases (Lexces), and the Mistra SafeChem research programme.
RIVM assessed the methods for their usability within a risk-first approach. No single method met all the criteria, with all requiring some degree of expert judgement for prioritisation and follow-up activities.
Nevertheless, the authority selected two methods for further development on the basis that they are readily available, high-throughput, use large databases, and incorporate information on both hazard and exposure.
Those methods are:
- the Lexces in silico prediction tools; and
- the RIVM endocrine disruptor toolbox.
The authority may integrate additional elements from other methods to further enhance the selected two methods, RIVM said.