European Test and Risk Assessment Strategies for Mixtures (EuroMix)

5/2015-5/2019

This third-party funded project is conducted in the framework of the BfR research for the detection of contaminants and for the assessment of chemical risks.

Grant Agreement No. 633172

Project homepage: https://www.euromixproject.eu/ 

The central aim of EuroMix is to develop an experimentally verified, tiered strategy for the risk assessment of mixtures of multiple chemicals, which can be derived from multiple sources across different life stages. The project takes due account of the gender dimension and balances the risk of chemicals present in foods against the benefits of those foods. 

Important concepts for the new strategy to be developed in EuroMix are prioritisation criteria for chemicals based on their exposure and hazard characteristics and evaluation of the role of mode of action and their key events in grouping chemicals into cumulative assessment groups. To this end, in silico and in vitro tools will be developed and verified against in vivo experiments.  To be able to provide a full proof-of-principle, we will focus in detail on hepatic, developmental and endocrine effects. In addition, studies on immune toxicity will be undertaken. The EuroMix project will result in an innovative platform of bioassays for mixture testing and refined categorisation of chemicals in cumulative assessment groups.

New hazard and exposure models will be embedded in the EuroMix model toolbox, which will be made available for stakeholders through an openly accessible web-based platform. Access to the web-based tools will be facilitated by training. Criteria will be set and guidance will be written on how to use and implement the tiered test strategy. Dissemination and harmonisation of the approach within EU, Codex Alimentarius, and WHO will be achieved by involving a. o. WHO and US-EPA in the project and by the participation of experts who play a key role in helping establish international food safety policies.

BfR is mainly involved in the following parts of the project:

• To identify the optimal in vitro models for detecting (putative) modes of action for liver toxicity, developmental toxicity, endocrine effects, and immune toxicity, and to define a bioassay toolbox for such in vitro testing
• To investigate the potential of these in vitro test systems for refining cumulative assessment groups (CAGs)
• To test the combined effects of chemicals having similar and dissimilar MoA in a quantitative manner (dose-response measurements) in vitro
• To identify optimal in vitro testing strategies for grouping chemicals and for predicting the effect of mixtures based on molecular signatures
• To highlight challenges and to make recommendations in the regulatory context
• To discuss and harmonise the principles underlying mechanism-based testing
• Exposure assessment for mixtures with US-EPA and the Codex Alimentarius

Project partners

• National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) (Coordinator)
• Wageningen University and Research Centre, Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek, department Biometris and RIKILT Institute of Food Safety (DLO-B and DLO-R)
• Imperial College London (ICL) 
• Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) 
• Health and Safety Executive (CRD) 
• World Health Organisation (WHO) 
• French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES)
• French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) 
• Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS)
• Ghent University (Ugent) 
• Freshfel Europe (FE) 
• German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) 
• Karolinska Institutet (KI) 
• MATIS OHF (MATIS)
• State General Laboratory of Cyprus (SGL) 
• National Institute of Public Health Center for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Management (NIPH-SI)
• National Institute of Public Health, Center for Health, Nutrition and Food (NIPH-CZ)
• National Institute of Public Health (NIPH -NO)
• Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) 
• Benaki Phytopathological Institute (BPI)
• Università degli Studi di Milano (University of Milan)
• Danish Technical University (DTU)