Approaches for describing and communicating overall uncertainty in toxicity characterizations: U.S. Environmental...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health Sciences
• Toxicology
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Current chemical risk assessments rely on single point estimates like reference doses (RfDs) for regulatory decisions.
• Limited understanding of uncertainty factors in toxicity values hinders risk managers and stakeholders.
• Varied approaches to uncertainty reduce confidence in regulatory science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose five transparent approaches for presenting toxicity values.
• To improve the communication and understanding of uncertainty in risk assessment.
• To enhance the informed use of toxicity data by assessors, managers, and stakeholders.

Main Methods:

• Developed from an invited participant workshop.
• Presented five novel approaches for communicating uncertainty in toxicity values.
• Utilized the U.S. EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) as a case study.

Main Results:

• Five distinct methods for transparently presenting toxicity values were described.
• The case study demonstrated the application of these approaches using IRIS data.
• The proposed methods aim to increase confidence in scientific assessments.

Conclusions:

• Implementing transparent presentation of toxicity values is crucial for effective risk management.
• These approaches promote clarity in the documentation and use of hazard data.
• Further testing is recommended to optimize these methods for different audiences and contexts.