Mixtures of pollutants, toxicity, ecotoxicity and risks assessment

Summary

Pollutants present in the environment, and particularly in waste, are most often in the form of mixtures. The toxicity of these contaminants must therefore be established on the basis of the different types of interactions: additivity, synergy or antagonism. These interactions must be taken into account in risk assessment methodologies. The study presented here reviews the state of the art in terms of the health and environmental effects of pollutant mixtures. It describes the various health and environmental risk assessment methodologies currently available. The feasibility of these different methodologies with regard to mixtures has been studied through case studies involving waste or effluents. The study presents a number of complementary methods currently under development (QSAR, omics, etc.). Coupled with rapid tests on the mixture itself, they will be very useful in the near future for better assessment and therefore better consideration of the effects of mixtures of pollutants.