Advances in prediction of exposure for organic chemicals

In the late 1970s new legislation was set up in industrialized countries to protect the environment. This has led to the definition of a new branch of science: ecotoxicology. The main objective of applied ecotoxicological research is the elucidation of indications of toxicity to be utilized for risk assessment and hazard evaluation for the management of potentially harmful chemicals. The development of predictive approaches for the hazard assessment of chemical substances has given an increased relevance to exposure evaluation. This paper discusses methods and processes used to estimate and assess the environmental distribution and fate of chemicals for the ultimate purpose of determining exposure of the general population via soil, water, food or air. Parameters useful for the assessment of risk for different time and space scales are discussed. A collaboration between toxicologists and ecotoxicologists is proposed to improve the management of chemical substances.