ANNUAL LITERATURE REVIEW

Ecological and human health risk assessment

B. S. Choudri,1 Yassine Charabi,1 Mushtaque Ahmed2

1
Center for Environmental Studies and
• Abstract
Research, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, The literature review presented in this paper covers the risk assessment process that is
Oman important to human health as well as the health of ecology in the form of receptors.
2
College of Agricultural and Marine
One of the important objectives of present review is to provide summary of the scien-
Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, tific studies published in the year 2018. The review starts with literature published on
Oman the assessment of health risks, which are valuable to human and ecology. Most of the
literature in the entire article focuses on techniques used for the analysis of scientific
Received 17 March 2019; Revised 21 June data and methods. In addition, review also highlights data interpretation, uncertainty,
2019; Accepted 22 June 2019 policy, and regulatory guidance associated with the management of human and eco-
logical risks. Particularly, the review on the risk assessment related to human health
Correspondence to: B. S. Choudri, Center
and ecology is divided into two main sections. These sections provide broad state of
for Environmental Studies and Research,
knowledge on the risk assessment process used to health of human and ecological
Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
systems focused on investigation of polluted sites, techniques of remediation, and
Email: [email protected]
tools required for natural resource management.   © 2019 Water Environment Federation

Published online 21 August 2019 in Wiley • Key words

Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) characterization of risks; ecological effects; ecology; exposure assessment; guidance;
human health; modeling; policies; probability simulation; regulatory; risk assessment;
DOI: 10.1002/wer.1194
standards; toxicity
© 2019 Water Environment Federation

General
Nawab, Khan, and Xiaoping (2018) analyzed water, sediments, and fish samples to
determine potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the rivers of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Rivers considered under the study were Chenab, Upper and Lower Indus. Results of
ecological risk analysis with regard to sediments showed a high ecological risk in the
Upper Indus and Chenab for cadmium. Moderate risks were noticed in the Lower
Indus in the Kabul area. Further, PTE absorption in fish tissues was within safety lim-
its indicating well for human consumption for all samples of these river sites.
Yanes, Botero, Arrizabalaga, and Vásquez (2018) proposed a methodology for
conducting ecological risk assessments of coastal areas. The proposed method takes
into account ecosystem health instead of benefits to humans and coastal zones. This
methodology evaluated by prioritizing ecosystem risks such as erosion, sedimenta-
tion, mud diapirism, invasive species, pollution, and land‐use changes. Assessment
carried out for 16 ecosystems using this method highlighted land‐use patterns play
important role in influencing the effects and vulnerability of ecosystems.
Kang, Chen, Hou, and Li (2018) used a framework, which combines the ser-
vice of ecosystem focused on ecosystem health as an endpoint in addressing risks to
ecology. The proposed framework applied to study influences of urbanization in the
urban area of Beijing. Assessment results showed the noticeable decrease in ecosystem
service that was in the range from 0% to 15%. Further, the mean value of ecosystem
health assessment for the data of 2000 to 2010 was also showed the decrease in the
service. Authors concluded that the framework could help to understand the impacts
of land‐use change on ecosystems.
In order to develop a database on brown fields in Italy at a regional scale, about
3,535 topsoil samples were collected and analyzed by Minolfi et al., (2018). Authors
used the Preliminary Risk Assessment Model. Fourteen parameters were chosen for

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 ANNUAL LITERATURE REVIEW

the integrated analysis in the model based on the available to evaluate in two case studies of coastal cities. Results showed
regional data. The database developed risk maps, which were good prediction in assessment of the hurricane dean 2007 and
classified into four risk classes. The maps developed to assess associated impacts. Overall, it was concluded that system of
soil contamination were useful for identifying high‐risk areas indicators developed in this study could be used for different
in order to prioritize monitoring plans. hazards.
He, Shen, and Zhang (2018) presented a framework to Vigiak et al. (2018) assessed the flow ecology with the help
assess ecological vulnerability. This framework helps to evalu- of indicators called “impact of epistemic uncertainty of flow
ate possible impacts of environmental pollution, natural, social, regime.” The flow regime was used for four river basins at mon-
economic, which were integrated. The integration was focused itoring stations considering drainage areas in the Southern part
on to assess human health with the use of geographic infor- of Europe. For each of these basins, two models were used with
mation system and multi‐criteria decision analysis. The assess- different parameters mainly data input, spatiotemporal reso-
ment results showed that about 1.32% of China population lution and methodology for calibration. Results of this study
having poor ecological vulnerability and living in such ecosys- showed the indicators obtained by the models on flow mag-
tem without effect. Study concluded that the use of ecological nitude were at medium and reliable for high flows. However,
vulnerability assessment framework could help in the manage- it was noticed that indicators were affected by uncertainty in
ment of ecosystem with effective guidance. the time of flow regime along with parameters such as rate of
Neris et al. (2018) developed a computational code called change and duration of flow. Authors suggested for improved
HHRISK (Human Health Risk) for assessing the human models to use for attaining better results.
health risks. The coding method developed by Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) helped in for risk assessment accu- Ecological effects and exposure assessment
rately. Authors applied HHRISK in case studies that were Ban, Park, Lee, and Lee (2018) conducted a study to compare
dealing with the risk assessment to human health. This risk inhalation exposures considering frequency, time, and dura-
assessment was focused on exposure to toxic elements. The tion of population exposure. Authors investigated household
study found that coding tool provided for the published data care products exposure to human health considering some of
with good results. Authors concluded that coding method has commonly used products. Some of these household care prod-
the capability of providing accurate spatiotemporal risks and ucts included were cleaning products as well as disinfectants.
helps to develop a risk mitigation plans. Results showed that there was lower exposure of inhalation
Luo, Liu, Peng, and Wu (2018) used an adaptive cycle among population surveyed for the 75th percentiles in com-
resilience theory into a risk assessment framework. This frame- parison with the 95th percentiles. The study concluded that
work was used for studying Beijing City. In this framework, exposure factors were important for the 75th percentile, and
authors used number of criteria such as potential, connected- such estimations could help to determine risks more accurately.
ness, resilience, integrated exposure, and disturbance effects of Gallastegi et al. (2018) assessed exposure of children to
risk sources. The framework helped in determining relation- radio frequency (RF) fields in Spain by spot and personal mea-
ships between landscapes and risk effects. Results indicated the surements. Results of spot measurements indicated that expo-
ecological risk of potential and connectedness weakened from sure source was from frequency modulation (FM) radio, mobile
main downtown areas to suburbs of the city. phone, and digital video broadcasting in the outdoor environ-
ment. However, the study indicated there was little contribution
in the indoor environment and personal sources. Authors con-
Ecological
cluded that spot measurements results could be feasible proxy
Problem formulation and methodology to rank personal RF exposure among children in the area.
Arzaghi, Abbassi, Garaniya, Binns, and Khan (2018) presented Niu, Xu, Zhu, Zhang, and Liu (2018) collected soil and air
a study on ecological risk assessment with the help of proba- samples during warm and cold seasons to assess concentrations
bilistic methodology focused on Arctic region considering the of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs). Study analysis
oil spills. Authors used the said method to actively model the showed the total concentration of DDT found in soils was cor-
transport and the fate of oil release with the help of input vari- related positively to organic matter present in the soils and for
ables having uncertainty. In addition, a model‐based dynamic pH negatively. However, the concentration of DDT in atmo-
Bayesian network was also used to determine ecological risks to spheric showed increasing with the increase in temperature.
the community in the aquatic environment. Study concluded It was found higher levels of exposure to population living in
that in comparison with DBN method, probabilistic methods agricultural regions with higher soil pH more than and indi-
were overestimating the level of possible risks. cated possibility of health risk to DDT. It was concluded that
Hernández, Carreño, and Castillo (2018) evaluated hurri- results obtained in the study provide base line information to
cane risk for coastal cities in Mexico using the system of indica- control the risk of DDTs.
tors. With the help of indicators, this study calculated the index Jayarathne, Egodawatta, Ayoko, and Goonetilleke (2018)
of hurricane risk. This system allowed in developing indices assessed six heavy metals that are commonly present in the
of vulnerability. The vulnerability assessment used variables road dust for the ecological and human health risks. This study
such as physical, environmental, social, economic, cultural, attempted to improve the risk indices already used for their
and institutional. The indicator model developed was applied potential characteristics of bioavailability. Results have shown

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ANNUAL LITERATURE REVIEW

that the improved risk analysis indices could help to under- assessment validity using set of criteria. Such criteria could be
standing the low ecological risk across study sites related to used to reduce uncertainties while drawing up proper decisions.
effects of road dust. In addition, study also found that non‐can- Yu, Liang, Zhang, Reniers, and Lu (2018) provided a new
cer risk of individual metals in children and adults for lead and understanding on protocols to consider while dealing with
cadmium followed the decreasing trend. risk assessments with regard to maintenance of pipelines in
Baqar et al. (2018) monitored contamination levels and the onshore areas under the events of uncertainty. For this,
spatial distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the study established model that takes into account the quan-
Ravi River and its tributaries in Pakistan. The focus was to tified risk assessment. This model considers risk values for the
assess the dermal exposure in human beings and possible onshore pipeline maintenance. Results of the model showed
risks to the integrity of ecosystem by the presence of OCPs. interval analysis could effectively help and quantify the uncer-
Results of distribution pattern showed transboundary in nature tainty phenomenon in the assessment of risk. Authors sug-
with regard to high concentration of OCPs starting from the gested use of Monte Carlo simulations could help to get desired
upstream toward the midstream. The calculated carcinogenic values in the place of lacking information.
risk by OCPs through dermal exposure was associated mainly Shome, Rahnama, Jewson, and Wilson (2018) presented
with aldrin and dieldrin. a study to capture uncertainties with the help of practical
Maher, Nelson, Larson, and Sala (2018) investigated sil- approaches while using the models of risk assessment. Authors
vicultural restoration treatments in whitebark pine forests to highlighted main challenges and associated issues that remain
identify their effects in the ecosystem. Authors evaluated silvi- important in risk model development and the quantification
cultural restoration treatments after implementation for their under the uncertainty given the many advancements avail-
success. The experimental results of this study showed there able through science and engineering over the recent years in
was observed low rate of seedling in whitebark pine. In addi- addressing uncertainty. In addition, the paper provides specific
tion, there was no marked increase in whitebark pine associated examples explained by the authors’ experience in modeling
with treatments given the site conditions. Based on the results earthquake and hurricane perils.
of experiment, authors suggested undertaking more studies to Li (2018) provided analysis on understanding the conse-
examine the silvicultural restoration treatments in whitebark quences of standard values of pesticide soil related to health
pine to have better ecological benefits. used to determine the characterization factors of risk. Under
Lei, Sun, Tsang, and Lin (2018) provided a review related the maximum exposure to persistent organic pesticides, authors
to research conducted more recently on transformations of adopted disability‐adjusted life years to determine damage and
iron‐based nanoparticles (NPs) in the environment. Authors severity. This study analysis showed that there was a small cor-
also provided discussion on nanoparticles relationships with rection with regard to the values of pesticide soil regulations
the toxicity levels observed in the environment. In addition, the (RGVs) of the world data. Even considering standard values
review highlighted research gaps and suggested directions for within the country, there was little agreement on the values of
future research on understanding the environmental transfor- RGV standard. This study also found that uniform pesticide
mations and toxicity of iron‐based NPs. It was also indicated RGVs used European countries and its member states includ-
to studies should focus on understanding the endpoints of tox- ing former Union of Soviet Socialist Republic.
icity and associated contaminants used in the surface coating.
Overall, authors provided detailed review that mostly focuses
Human Health
on potential risks of using iron‐based NPs and viable ways that
could be used to minimize risks in the environment. Methodology
Zhang et al. (2018) proposed a method in order to evalu-
Risk characterization, uncertainty, and management ate effects of pHs and variations of total metal concentration
Liu et al. (2018) provided a discussion on stormwater runoff hav- to assess health risks in groundwater through metal specia-
ing metals and the rain characteristics associated with the pos- tion. This method used the oral ingestion of groundwater to
sible risk to human health. Study showed that the contributions address mutative effects to health with the help of MINTEQ
of metals in the stormwater runoff sources were in the increasing simulation. Results indicated that the dissolution rate of nickel
order from sea, followed by salt, soil, and the traffic. In addition, was affected by total concentrations of nickel and pH values.
authors pointed that contributions from traffic were lower but Further, the study found that the increase of pH was the affect-
carry higher risks to human health. Authors suggested safe- ing factor for total concentration of nickel. However, the total
guarding natural water flow from entering into road wash off. concentration of nickel for health index was constant and then
Pasman and Rogers (2018) presented a brief summary on decreased gradually. The health index values of total nickel spe-
standard procedure used for safety of products. It was argued ciation were above acceptable level.
that the products must provide guarantee on the risk of use Chen et al. (2018) investigated season differences of
below estimated no risk values. Authors also presented number aerosol toxicity of PM2.5. In this study, authors exposed
of approaches to deal with quantitative risk assessment uncer- human lung epithelial cells for determining the effects on
tainties in view of steps required for the process of decision‐ cell viability, membrane damage, and cell oxidative stress. In
making. In the final section of the paper, authors concluded addition, the analysis was performed on responses of inflam-
providing few practical recommendations to judge the risk matory cytokines in two seasons (summer and winter) with

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the help of vitro toxicity bioassays. Results of toxicity showed Bai et al. (2018) applied the principle of reductionism along
the PM2.5 led to the injury of cell membrane and decrease in with particle of an ultrafine library approach to study pollutants
cell viability. It was also noticed that inflammatory responses in air samples. The study looked at diverse properties with pay-
were dependent on dose; interestingly, the cytotoxicity of loads of inorganic, organic, and biological pollutants. Results
PM2.5 was higher during winter in comparison with summer showed that only certain pollutants in the payloads of PM2.5
season. are responsible contributing toward cellular oxidative stress,
Bourgeois, Johnson, and Harbison (2018) presented a cell apoptosis, and cytotoxicity. Further, it was highlighted that
discussion on the evolution of human health risk assessment. each specific toxic component on PM2.5 mainly affects its spe-
Human health risk assessment is a complex scientific process cific target organs. This study concluded that the concept of
and contributes the knowledge on various methods used by reductionism and model PM2.5 particle library approach was
many risk managers around the world. Authors have described very effective.
fundamental risk assessment methods available currently as Yalaltdinova, Kim, Baranovskaya, and Rikhvanov (2018)
well as summarize how risk assessment tools being used to used an integrated approach in Ust‐Kamenogorsk city of
inform environmental and public health decisions. In the Kazakhstan to study air pollution impact with the help of indi-
final section of the article, authors concluded highlighting risk cator plants. This study considered multicomponent and multi-
assessment associated challenges and emerging tools. factor man‐made impacts at two sites to predict negative effects
Zhang et al. (2018) presented a new methodology for on the ecosystems and human health. Analyzed results of black
assessing contaminated sites of having heavy metals and its risk poplar leaves showed concentrations of Ag, As, Na, Sb, Sr, Ta, U,
to human health. This study considered optimization sample and Zn were higher in comparison with data found in the liter-
results that were used for analysis to precisely estimate specia- ature. In addition, zinc emissions showed highest contribution
tion of metals. Authors integrated entropy method and inverse to the toxicity index.
distance to a power tool in order to obtain the effective risk In the freshwater and marine sardines, Milošković et al.
through the mapping of visual risk distribution of metal spe- (2018) analyzed for concentrations of potentially toxic ele-
cies. The method was applied through ingesting arsenic via oral ments in the Prespa Lake. The concentrations of Pb and Cd
route on adults. Results have shown that the presence of arsenic were above the maximum permissible limit in the samples of
and its speciation could possibly influence the risks of carcino- sardines of the lake. In addition, the target hazard quotient and
genic and non‐carcinogenic effects. hazard index were also higher than the prescribed standards.
Baas, Augustine, Marques, and Dorne (2018) presented a These concentrations indicated a potential health risk for con-
discussion on main components and principles of the dynamic sumers in the study area. Based on the results of the study,
energy budget (DEB) theory. Authors have combined many authors suggested a regular monitoring of freshwater lakes in
models of DEB using the existing data applications in species the region to protect the public health.
and taxa for ecological risk assessment related to chemicals in Sawut et al. (2018) conducted a study to examine surface
the environment. In addition, authors highlighted perspectives soils and groundwater for the concentrations of heavy metals
for future DEB models as an open source tools to enhance such as As, Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb. The study was intended to
knowledge for regulatory community in addressing ecotoxico- estimate and evaluate heavy metal concentration and its effect
logical risk assessment. on human health. The risk assessment was done with the help
of pollution index (PI), the nemerow integrated pollution index
Toxicity (NIPI). In addition, the ecological risk factor, risk index, and
Carlsen, Skjerven, and Carlsen (2018) provided a summary on the model were used. Results showed that Cd and Hg were
the current knowledge among children and pregnant women main pollutants for the ecological risk factor and risk index
with regard to use of E‐cigarette. Authors particularly discuss along with PI an NIPI. Authors suggested these results could
effects among children’s exposure to respiratory health using be used for remediation in the area to protect the environment
the E‐cigarette. In addition, detailed background information and health.
given in the study to highlight an increasing number of ado-
lescent and young adults addicted to use of E‐cigarettes. It was Exposure assessment
concluded that E‐cigarettes used and marketed in those areas Kim et al. (2018) conducted a study to assess respiratory and
had 95% less harmful effects in comparison with the conven- dermal health effects of air fresheners. This study analyzed
tional cigarettes. samples of fragrance ingredient, biocidal ingredients, and haz-
Popovic et al.. (2018) analyzed samples of canned tuna, ardous ingredients. The assessment was conducted according
sardines, and mackerel fishes from the Serbian market for toxic to their risk to human health on five groups by application
metals. This study analyzed elemental levels for arsenic (As) type. Results of two‐tiered assessment showed that the assessed
cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) with the help of ingredients had no health risks at their maximum concentra-
inductively coupled plasma and mass spectrography. Results tions in air fresheners.
showed higher values for arsenic, cadmium, and mercury in Ouyang, Gao, Cheng, Hao, and Wu (2018) studied lev-
tuna samples and the lead content was higher all three canned els of PM2.5 exposure among age and education subgroups
fishes. Study concluded that given the levels of toxicity mea- in Beijing City of China for the data of year 2015. The assess-
sured in fishes showed risk to human health. ments of exposure and inequality among population for PM2.5

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ANNUAL LITERATURE REVIEW

pollution calculated the population weighted exposure level threshold for studied effect categories (RQ > 1), and this factor
and the inequality index. Results showed that exposures to suggests bear population has been affected by the contaminant.
PM2.5 were disproportionately low for the illiterate in com- Further, authors concluded that elevated levels of RQs in recent
parison with educated population due to their characteristics time attributed to climate‐related changes in food composition.
of geographical distribution. Authors concluded that this study Cohn (2018) presented in depth review of cockroach
results could contribute to exposure assessments of air quality allergen and its role in allergic disease. The review describes
and epidemiology. in detail on relationships among cockroach allergen exposure,
Kolo et al. (2018) analyzed soil samples for heavy met- allergic sensitization, and disease. In addition, the article also
als collected from the cement factory. This factory was using discusses exposure risk assessment, prevalence characteriza-
coal for fire in the Northeastern part of Nigeria. The objective tion, and needed advanced research on reducing exposures.
was to assess heavy metal exposure and concentration in the The article concluded highlighting results of few studies con-
environment. Heavy metals such as Cr, Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Mn ducted on sustained reduction in allergen levels for the eradi-
were considered for analysis. The mean concentrations of heavy cation of cockroach.
metals except for Cr were lower in comparison with the back-
ground values. Therefore, risk assessments showed the primary Modeling and probability simulation
route of exposure was from the ingestion pathway for adults Badham et al. (2018) discussed about agent‐based modeling
and children. Particularly, authors noted that children were at used to understand the behavior of complex systems by simu-
higher risk of exposure to these metals in the area. lating the actions of entities within the system. The computa-
Atabila et al. (2018) evaluated dermal exposure to chlorpy- tion in this model included the way individuals influence by
rifos in Ghana and to estimate the level of chlorpyrifos doses their physical and social environment. Authors highlighted
absorbed in the bodies of applicators. It was focused on farmers three challenges facing potential modelers such as model speci-
working in the rice fields toward addressing consequences of fication, obtaining required data, and developing good prac-
health risks. The method of whole‐body dosimetry procedure tices. Finally, provided proper steps to be followed to address
was utilized in order to capture residues of chemical in the bod- agent modeling and the data integration.
ies of applicators. Further, the hazard quotient technique was José, Pérez, Pérez, and Barras (2018) used a dynamical
used to characterize risk of health from chlorpyrifos exposure. downscaling tool to understand the impacts of global climate
The study indicated that applicators were at high risk of acute change on health of population. WRF‐Chem mesoscale model
adverse health effects. Authors highlighted importance of der- developed by NASA was used to produce information covering
mal exposure and suggested strategies to minimize the expo- Europe with 25 km of spatial resolution. Results showed effects
sure of applicators. on the health of people by temperature change in the future by
Zhelyazkov et al. (2018) analyzed Pb, Cd, and Hg con- changes in atmospheric pollutant concentrations. This model
centrations in mussels and veined rapa whelks caught in the helps to develop measures to mitigate future effects on human
Varna Bay of Black Sea. In addition, the study also evaluated health by providing spatial plans.
the risk of these heavy metals for human health. Results of Hong et al. (2018) investigated urban road surfaces depo-
analysis showed average concentrations in mussels were that sition for the benzene series compound pollutants build‐up
Cd was followed by Pb and Hg while veined rapa whelks also loads. This study used an artificial neural network (ANN) and
showed highest levels of Cd followed by Pb and Hg. However, two conventional regression modeling. These two models were
the study concluded that consumption of these species did not compared in terms of estimating benzene series compound pol-
pose any risk for the health of people as concentrations were lutants build‐up loads of road dust considering parameters of
below standards. land use. Results showed ANN model had better performance
Limbu, Zhou, Sun, Zhang, and Du (2018) conducted a over the approaches of two regression models. In addition,
study on Nile tilapia and its exposure to low environmental the maps of spatial distribution and human health risk map of
concentrations of antibiotics (LECAs) and legal aquaculture benzene series compound pollutants contributed valuable and
doses of antibiotics (LADAs) for understanding chronic effects. potential platform to identify affected areas.
Results showed that LECAs and LADAs enhanced intestine and Fan et al. (2018) conducted a study to determine the rela-
liver organs of fish through gluconeogenesis and inhibited lipo- tionship between seafarer’s emotion and occurring events in
genesis and fatty acid beta‐oxidation. Further, the estimated navigation. Authors used the electroencephalogram (EEG) and
quotient of hazard risk among children for fish was more than self‐assessment manikin (SAM) scale rating on the occurrence
one indicating risk to human health. Study suggested having and impact with the help of a bridge simulator. Study showed
a global policy on antibiotics in to aquaculture considering that negative emotion has a higher likelihood of contributing
human health. to human errors than positive emotion. In addition, results
Dietz et al. (2018) presented a study conducted over a highlighted that less negative emotion was the most dangerous
period of three decades related to risk assessment of organoha- emotion state during navigation followed by extreme positive
logen contaminants (OHC) exposure in Greenland polar bear. emotion.
Authors studied the possible effects on reproduction, immunity, Rodgers, Coit, Felder, and Carlton (2018) used simulation‐
and cancer of bear in the region. Results showed that additive based metamodeling tool to quantify health damages in power
risk quotients (RQs) for all OHCs in polar bears were above the grid expansion decisions. The study tried to link the outputs of

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generation expansion simulations used in planning as a screen- Regulatory agency guidance, standard, and policy
ing tool to quantify the damages to human health in the elec- Zijian (2018) developed and analyzed a health‐based regulatory
tricity sector. Based on the use of an updated metamodel, study chain framework for groundwater regulations integrating soil,
could find a new expansion plan. Such plan and data frame- drinking water, and health‐associated pesticide occurrence.
work help better understanding implications associated with Authors combined regulations of worldwide used for pesti-
health in expansion decisions. cide in groundwater and results indicated that regulations did
Xie et al. (2018) considered an integrated assessment not provide standard values. Further, the computed indexes
framework for studying air quality and climate mitigation. between pesticide groundwater and drinking water regulations
The framework used parameters such as economic, the indicated positive results for EU nations. Authors concluded
chemistry of air in combination with health assessment mod- that the framework developed in this study could help agencies
els. Results of this analysis showed that reducing the pollu- to establish precise regulations.
tion of air with the help of climate change mitigation goal Strickland et al. (2018) reviewed in the United States the
could reduce premature deaths in Asia by 0.79 million under requirements for acute systemic toxicity testing for six‐agencies.
2° temperature. In addition, the estimated life saving co‐ben- The review mainly identified requirements for the flexibility
efit was equivalent to the value of 2.8 trillion dollars. Authors in satisfying data needs and possible methods that could help
concluded that integrated assessment used in this study could the use of animal for testing. Based on the review, this study
help to develop robust data. developed a national level road map with a strategy toward
implementing non‐animal approaches that could be useful to
Risk characterization, management, and policy assess hazards. These hazards exposure assessment was focused
Urrutia‐Goyes, Hernandez, Carrillo‐Gamboa, Nigam, and on industry using medical products and chemicals. Authors
Ornelas‐Soto (2018) analyzed dust samples of street for metal believe that agencies in United States and other stakeholders
concentration to assess ecological and health threats in the city could execute the strategy developed under this study.
Monterrey, Mexico. Results showed higher‐level concentra- Murray‐Smith and Taylor (2018) presented a review
tions of As, Ba, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pb, Ti, and Zn originated from of current environmental regulations and their impacts on
the sources of tire wearing, brake wearing, and other industrial activities related to the healthcare sector. In addition, authors
activities. This study concluded that ecological risk was mod- included three sections that highlight regulations related to
erate across the city and highlighted that authors were able to manufacturing and the disposal of unused medicines. The final
establish risk of Pb concentrations in children. section of the paper provides information requirements for
Baggio and Hillis (2018) examined the management of the environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals in the
generic ecological disturbance with the help of agent‐based European Union and the United States.
model. The model was used as a function of different learning Sebestyén, Monostory, and Hirka (2018) performed step-
strategies built in the network of socio‐ecology. This approach wise European Union environmental risk assessment (ERA).
provides a general framework, which can be changed to fit in The first step followed with screening to determine environ-
for examining different processes of social and ecological flows. mental exposure of pharmaceuticals and the second step helped
Study highlighted that there was a need for accurate data in to determine medicinal products fate along with their possible
order to develop meaningful strategy as well as limited clus- health effects to organisms. Based on the assessment, authors
tering which could support decisions toward the ecosystem concluded that there were studies available in the literature on
management. the presence of pharmaceuticals throughout Europe in surface
Vollmer et al. (2018) presented a conceptualization of waters, rivers, and lakes. Given this fact, authors highlighted to
freshwater resources considering integrated social‐ecologi- revisit the current legislation as well as risk assessment system
cal system called the “freshwater health index” (FHI). In this in order to protect the health of human and possible effects of
framework, set of indicators proposed with social and ecologi- veterinary medicinal products.
cal importance to monitor the health of freshwater ecosystem.
Overall, the proposed framework helps to operationalize an
Future of the Topic
integrated tool for water resource management recognizing the
linkages between governance, stakeholders, freshwater ecosys- The risk assessment of ecological and human health forms
tems, and the services provided by the freshwater ecosystems. most valuable for healthy living and sustainable develop-
Xu, Tan, Yang, and Barnett (2018) illustrated a strategy of ment. The ecological and human risk assessment provide
ecological red lines (ERL) in Chian using a case study to bal- valuable information and the knowledge that is being use-
ance economic growth along with ecological and environmen- ful for scientists and other stakeholders. These assessment
tal protection. This study was applied to economic belt in China results are particularly useful in assessing hazards that would
and identified gaps in knowledge considering indicators to have possible effects on ecological systems including human
measure ERL. Some of the issues evaluated were methods and beings. Therefore, the risk assessment of human health pro-
criteria for spatial analysis and classification of ERL and effec- vides an opportunity to determine nature and probability
tive integration aligned with policies of ecological protection. of adverse effects in general through the exposure to stress-
Finally, authors suggested few adaptive measures to improve ors in the environment. Over the recent years, considering
the implementation strategy of ERL policy. human activities affecting the environment, the future risk

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ANNUAL LITERATURE REVIEW

assessment review would focus on the analysis of scientific Lei, C., Sun, Y., Tsang, D. C. W., & Lin, D. (2018). Environmental transformations and
ecological effects of iron‐based nanoparticles. Environmental Pollution, 232, 10–30.
data, advanced methods of monitoring, government policies Li, Z. (2018). Health risk characterization of maximum legal exposures for persistent
as well as regulatory guidance. organic pollutant (POP) pesticides in residential soil: An analysis. Journal of
Environmental Management, 205, 163–173. https​ ://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvm​
an.2017.09.070
Limbu, S. M., Zhou, L. I., Sun, S. X., Zhang, M. L., & Du, Z. Y. (2018). Chronic expo-
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