The release of chemicals from their containment, either accidentally or initiated by an intentional act, is one of the most relevant risk scenarios in Europe. The ability to perform a human health risk assessment is a prerequislte for effective chemical incident prevention, preparedness and response. At present, no European consented guidance is available for risk assessment, risk management and risk communication purposes for these scenarios. Such an assessment requires the prediction of possible health effects at increasing levels. of health impact. A review of legislation, existing or currently under revision, suggests that a basis for such guidance is not to be expected in the short term. Through a web-based survey the availability of European consented and harmonized Acute Exposure Reference Values (AERVs) was considered to be an important need. An increasing number of European countries are developing their own procedures to assess human health risk of chemical incident scenarios. The AERVs thus produced serve different purposes and are not interchangeable, even though they are often used in practice as if they are, leading to inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the chemical incident risk assessment. Lack of international harmonization seriously hampers a harmonized response in chemical emergencies with trans-boundary effects within and beyond the EU, will hamper multinational companies to make consistent risk assessments worldwide and will hinder consistent and transparent assessment, management and communication of risks by the different stakeholders. Emerging chemical incident risk scenarios and risk drivers have been identified. It is recommended to monitor more frequently for new trends in chemicals, scenarios and risks from chemical incidents at an early stage. A specific need for an approach to deal with single exposure to mixtures of chemicals was identified, as well as for specific guidance to adequately protect professional first responders.
