Working group 5
Risk assessment
The ultimate goal of evaluating the impact of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) exposure on human health is to reduce and maintain environmental MNPs at safe levels for the exposed populations. CUSP research projects will use different approaches and technologies – in terms of experimental models and effect biomarkers – to identify the potential health hazards associated with MNPs. But results will only be significant if the data generated across projects are useful for human risk assessment and regulatory purposes, and complementary enough to be integrated into a comprehensive analysis. Therefore, we are setting up an inventory of hazard assessment technologies in the projects, defining common case studies in human biomonitoring, and formulating and prioritizing issues regarding regulatory safety assessment and management of MNPs under stakeholders’ and regulators’ guidance. In this way, we contribute the scientific evidence which supports risk assessment and risk management for MNPs.