Research on procuring data for exposure assessment

The risks linked to foods and consumer products are diverse and complex. In order to identify a possible threat to consumers, information is needed about the intake of pathogens and contaminants. The precondition for risk assessment is, therefore, knowledge about the occurrence, spread and intake of harmful pathogens, contaminants, products and their chemical substances. One focus of BfR research is, therefore, the development of methods to collect data within the framework of risk analysis as the basis for exposure assessment.

Standardised, simple screening methods as well as modern statistical methods are needed to collect data and assess exposure. BfR develops these methods further in order to be able to give a realistic assessment of the risks with an acceptable degree of effort.

The research focuses on the development of finely tuned variability-related approaches to exposure assessment. Important data sources are food consumption studies, the levels of agents in foods and consumer products as well as data which provide information on the handling of consumer products in daily life (consumer behaviour). Within this framework BfR is involved, amongst other things, in the User and Scientific Advisory Committee of the National Food Consumption Study II which is co-ordinated by the Federal Research Centre for Nutrition and Food (BFEL). It also co-operates closely with other public agencies and institutions on the national and European levels (European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC), Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), Robert Koch Institute (RKI)).

Research areas

• National food consumption study
  Data collection within the framework of the new, extended national food consumption study

• Probabilistic exposure assessment
  Development of probabilistic exposure assessment methods of risk assessment

• Model parameters for prospective intake estimates
  Development of model parameters for prospective intake estimates of novel and functional foods as well as secondary plant ingredients

• Exposure assessment for chemicals and products
  Data collection on exposure assessment in the field of chemicals and product safety

• Exposure assessment for textiles, toys, non-textile care articles
  Research in the field of exposure to textiles, toys and non-textile care articles