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The impact of this chapter is to inform the reader of this book about current activities of international bodies to improve the methods used in exposure assessment and the knowledge and information database. In addition the reader shall be given insight into the regulatory work and decision procedures.

This chapter focuses on consumer product-related exposure issues. It covers all non-food products that can release chemical substances and consumers may come into contact with. They include, for example, products used inside and around the home for personal hygiene, home maintenance, do it yourself, automotive care, hobby and craft, leisure, playing, home office, pet care, home pesticides, furniture, clothing, and yard and garden maintenance. They are regulated by a number of different regulations (see the following subchapters). Consumer exposures to these products may be direct or indirect. As pointed out in Sect. 3.2.7, they can be characterised by the release of the agent from the source, the transport from the source to the target person (pathway of exposure), and the kind of contact (route of exposure). The release is determined by the chemical’s concentration in an item (consumer product), its properties (e.g. volatility), how it is bonded in the matrix, and what stressors (e.g. temperature, and mechanical activity by the user) are present. These conditions of exposure can be described in general terms in the exposure scenario and by subsequent iterations in a tiered approach. This chapter gives an overview about exposure assessment with regard to consumer products, separated into mixtures and articles. It also focuses on specific issues of exposure assessment with respect to (European) chemicals and cosmetic regulation. Further, this chapter addresses particular issues for exposure estimation of nanoparticles and sprays and aerosols, as well as secondary exposures from house dust.

In light of the broad spectrum of products containing nanosilver, the harmfulness of nanosilver to human health and the environment was intensively discussed at a conference held in February 2012 at the BfR. The conference agenda covered the aspects of analytics of nanosilver materials, human exposure and toxicology as well as effects on microorganisms and the environment. The discussion recovered major gaps related to commonly agreed guidelines for sample preparation and central analytical techniques. In particular, the characterization of the nanoparticles in complex matrices was regarded as a challenge which might become a pitfall for further innovation and application. Historical and anecdotal records of colloidal silver have been sometimes taken as empirical proof for the general low toxicity of nanosilver. Yet as reported herein, a growing number of animal studies following modern performance standards of toxicity testing have been carried out recently revealing well-characterized adverse effects on different routes of exposure in addition to argyria. Furthermore, recent approaches in exposure assessment were reported. However, consumer exposure scenarios are only starting to be developed and reliable exposure data are still rare. It was further widely agreed on the workshop that the use of silver may lead to the selection of silver resistant bacteria. With respect to its environmental behavior, it was suggested that nanosilver released to wastewater may have negligible ecotoxicological effects. Finally, the presentations and discussion on risk assessment and regulation of nanosilver applications gave insights into different approaches of risk assessment of nanomaterials to be performed under the various regulatory frameworks.