Risk assessment in toxicology involves several key steps: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization.
1. Hazard Identification: This step involves determining whether a substance could cause harm. This is typically done through laboratory tests and studying epidemiological data.
2. Dose-Response Assessment: This involves understanding the relationship between the dose of a substance and the incidence of adverse health effects. It helps establish the threshold levels below which no significant effects are expected.
3. Exposure Assessment: This step estimates the concentration, frequency, and duration of human exposure to a substance, considering various exposure routes such as inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact.
4. Risk Characterization: This combines the information from the previous steps to estimate the overall risk to human health, providing a basis for decision-making and regulatory actions.
