In an article published in the August 2015 issue of Environmental Factor, the digital periodical of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), writer Virginia Guidry reports on a NIEHS workshop on statistical methods to assess exposure to chemical mixtures in the environment. The workshop took place on July 13-14, 2015 at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, U.S. and was attended by epidemiologists, biostatisticians, toxicologists, and exposure scientists. Prior to the workshop, participating researchers were given the challenge to analyze three epidemiological data sets and submit their approaches and results. The attendees used a variety of statistical methods to tackle the challenge and shared their solutions during the workshop. In this manner, the workshop provided a platform for determining ways to analyze chemical mixtures in epidemiological studies. For further development, more data sets need to be made available to researchers so they can conduct comparisons and refine statistical methods, said Danielle Carlin of NIEHS who co-organized the event. Russ Hauser, based at Harvard University, U.S., and also co-organizer of the workshop, highlighted the importance of producing results that are useful to policymakers as published results will ultimately be used in risk assessments to protect public health. An introduction to the workshop as well as workshop materials can be found on the event website. The organizers will also prepare a report and commentary on the workshop.

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Virginia Guidry (August 2015). “Researchers rise to the challenge of studying mixtures.Environmental Factor

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