Building a European exposure science strategy

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health Sciences
• Risk Assessment
• Regulatory Science

Background:

• Exposure science is crucial for safe environments and risk reduction in Europe.
• Diverse regulations and a lack of professional identity hinder the field's development and policy integration.
• Harmonizing exposure science is essential for effective European policy and sustainable futures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key needs for advancing and harmonizing exposure science in Europe.
• To propose building blocks and long-term activities for a European Exposure Science Strategy.
• To align scientific advancements with policy implementation for 2020-2030.

Main Methods:

• Trend analysis of exposure science in regulatory and non-regulatory frameworks.
• Identification of three key needs for field advancement.
• Definition of six long-term activities for strategy implementation.

Main Results:

• Three key needs identified: networking, common assessment approaches, and education.
• Six proposed activities: European networks, common approaches, tiered education, integrated framework, best practices, and information exchange.
• Development of a foundational roadmap for a 'European Exposure Science Strategy' 2020-2030.

Conclusions:

• A unified 'European Exposure Science Strategy' is proposed to address current challenges.
• The strategy aims to harmonize guidelines, tools, data, and education.
• Implementation requires dedicated working groups and a clear action plan for scientific and technological alignment.