Integration of psychosocial and chemical stressors in risk assessment

Abstract

Numerous papers have highlighted the need for cumulative risk assessments that evaluate the impacts of multiple chemical and nonchemical stressors on human health [1,2]. Nonchemical stressors represent a diverse suite of factors (e.g., social and economic adversity) that are only beginning to be explored in risk assessment [3]. Approaches incorporating both chemical and nonchemical stressors are critical for better understanding relative contributions of real-world stressors and developing effective intervention strategies. However, moving from traditional single chemical evaluations to cumulative risk assessments presents multiple challenges.