How is Toxicological Data Used in Risk Assessment?
Risk assessment is a systematic process used to determine the likelihood of adverse health outcomes resulting from exposure to hazardous substances. Toxicological data plays a crucial role in this process by providing information on the toxicity profile of substances. The steps in risk assessment include:
1. Hazard identification: Determining whether a substance is capable of causing harm. 2. Dose-response assessment: Establishing the relationship between the dose and the incidence of adverse effects. 3. Exposure assessment: Estimating the extent of human exposure to the substance. 4. Risk characterization: Integrating the data from the previous steps to estimate the health risk.