These are my take-away points from @PerttiH's consumer product exposure/risk assessment lecture given yesterday to a graduate Public Health Informatics class.

What I don't include is the case study he presented showing how results from research into the toxic effects of aerosolizing a product, such as a water-proofing spray, conducted world-wide over a period of 20 years, still failed to make it to the hands of risk assessors at a several consumer product manufacturers.

The first three points, especially, are applicable in any number of fields related to informatics and technology.

• Danger in assuming that data has to be new/recent to be real/relevant
• Global economy creates products marketed globally which is creating the potential for global hazards
• The greater the number of warnings on a product, the less likely they are to be read

• Informatics = flow of data –> information -> knowledge
• Exposure assessment is still a developing science
• A person uses 10+ consumer products just to get out of bed/shower/etc.
• Over 1000+ chemicals in some perfumes
• Toy w/ small magnets recalled because magnets, if ingested, might join in the body with tissue in between and become stuck, leading to necrosis of tissue
• In silico data – data generated by computers/simulations (as opposed to In vitro data – generated from cells, but not animals)
• Viscosity/orifice size of consumer products are sometimes designed with child safety in mind
• Many products smell and taste bad for one reason; because you’re supposed to ingest or inhale them