On June 1, 2021 the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) organized a PERFORCE3 webinar entitled “Evaluation of mixture effects in the context of toxicology testing”, featureing Dr. Jimmy Alacran (BfR). A recording of the event can be found below.
Abstract
Humans are constantly exposed to chemical mixtures through food, water, air or consumer products. The number of possible combinations is virtually infinite, and thus it makes risk assessment of mixtures a great challenge. In the past years, many projects were funded with the goal to implement strategies for the evaluation of mixture effects and how to improve their risk assessment (e.g. EuroMix). The general assumption is that substances within a mixture do not interact and the combined effect in mixture can be then predicted using additivity models. The common mathematical models used to characterize combination effects are concentration addition and independent action, but new approaches like benchmark dose are gaining interest. In fact, it is recommended to use more than one model for the evaluation of mixture effects for an appropriate conclusion on mixtures evaluation. Information on the mode of action of the different components is another important aspect of mixture evaluation. With the development of adverse outcome pathways, grouping of chemicals should help to conduct mixtures evaluation. Future work aims at reaching an implementation of appropriate and harmonized guidance at international level.
About the speaker
Dr. Jimmy Alarcan (BfR)
Jimmy Alarcan studied organic chemistry in the University of Paris-Est Créteil, France. Following his master degree, he accomplished a collaborative PhD project between the French agency for food, environmental and occupational health & safety (ANSES) and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) from 2014-2018. During his PhD project, he investigated, among other things, the toxicological effects of mixtures of marine biotoxins on the intestinal barrier. Later, he joined the H2020 EuroMix project as post-doctoral researcher where he investigated mixture effects of pesticides on the liver, with a specific concern on steatosis. His main research topics are cellular toxicology, xenobiotic metabolism, and mixtures.
