ABSTRACT
A quantitative risk assessment is designed to quantify the risk of adverse health effects from exposure to an agent. It also aims to measure the impact of different risk factors in order to propose management options. Since the first steps in risk assessment in the 1980s, considerable efforts have been made to base risk assessment on science and quantitative data. Mathematical modelling, computational capacities and developments in toxicology (in vitro testing and screening, toxicokinetics) have made it possible to introduce quantitative methods to account for population behaviour, dose–response and chemical level variability instead of using mean or maximum point estimates. This chapter presents general concepts in quantitative chemical risk assessment and the current and future challenges.
