Priority Program - Environmental Risk
Developing Risk Assessment Methodologies for a Society that Understands Risk ( pamphlet )
We develop chemical exposure assessment methods that make use of hierarchical dynamic environmental models and monitoring data obtained from various environmental measurement technologies. To clarify the relationship between environmental factors and diseases such as allergic reactions from the viewpoint of sensitivity, we investigate the effects of chemicals on endocrine, immune, and nervous systems, and the biological impacts of nanoparticles and fibrous substances. In addition, we are proposing environmental risk assessment methods based on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
1 Integrated exposure assessment analysis of the complex factors of chemical exposure
We aim to establish exposure assessment techniques that effectively and comprehensively consider the complex causes of exposure. We are building a framework for assessing exposure that helps us understand multiple factors from natural environmental dynamics and exposure on a hierarchical time-space scale. This includes:
- Developing methods to analyze exposure and determining hierarchical dynamics from the regional to the global level from GIS data.
- Using bioassays and exhaustive analysis techniques to understand the complex causes of exposure.
- Developing new methods for exposure assessment that involve an integrated analysis of sociological data and conventional exposure assessment methods.
2 Assessing the health risks of chemicals with a focus on sensitivity factors
To understand the triggering of chemical sensitivity reactions in individuals, we analyze the effects of environmental chemicals on genetics, developmental, reproductive, immune, and neuro-behavioral functions through disturbance of higher biological functions such as endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. Our aim is to establish experimental models for assessing health risks from environmental chemicals at low doses in susceptible individuals. This includes:
- Establishing an experimental model to identify and assess unknown harmful effects on nervous and immune system functions following exposure to environmental chemicals at low doses.
- Providing risk assessment methods that consider the developmental stage-specific effects of environmental chemicals.
- Identiflying factors responsible for high sensitivity in vulnerable populations and developing a screening system to assess complex effects of environmental chemicals.
3 Assessing the health risks associated with the disposition of environmental nanoparticles
We investigate the biological impact of ultrafine particulate matter and environmental nanoparticles and determine how they behave in the body. We are working towards establishing health risk assessment methods that are geared to these kinds of particles which are different from regular chemicals. This includes:
- Performing research on health effects, especially on the respiratory system, and health risk assessment of particles with a diameter of less than 50nm in the exhaust gases of vehicles, environmental particles, and nanomaterials which have high cell and tissue permeability.
- Examining the disposition and biological impact of asbestos, which permeates tissues and is thought to cause and mesothelioma. Researching toxicity assessments of waste asbestos that has been treated with heat.
4 Developing environmental risk assessment methods based on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
The objective of this project is to establish comprehensive assessment systems for natural ecosystems through the development of stage-specific assessment procedures for loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This includes:
- Analyzing, through field and experimental studies, the impacts of various environmental stress factors on biological populations and communities in aquatic ecosystems.
- Assessing invasion risks of alien species and their parasites.
- Performing risk analysis in the field using mathematical models.
