Journal article
Next Generation Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA): Bigger, Better, Faster
Environmental science & technology letters, Vol.12(11), pp.1471-1480
31/10/2025
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Abstract
New pathogens and contaminants that threaten public health and the environment continually emerge. While major advancements have been made in high-throughput analysis methodologies, the current “one-contaminant-at-a-time” approach to quantifying risk that continues to prevail in policy analysis is not sufficient to keep pace. Assessing coexposures and their associated synergisms, antagonisms, or other effects with respect to risk is needed to move beyond this approach. Leveraging concepts from computational toxicology and chemical risk assessment, we propose a roadmap for the integration and advancement of quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to be bigger, better, and faster. The integrated risk assessment paradigm focuses on (1) integrating microbial omics tools into QMRA including broadening hazard considerations to combinations of pathogens and expressed genes, (2) combining chemical, nonchemical, and pathogen stressors in a common framework for informing cost and sustainability trade-offs in risk management decisions, and (3) advancing actionable risk assessment tools. This approach will promote transdisciplinary, practical risk management solutions by enabling decision-makers to rapidly predict and respond to health risks from complex modern environments.
Details
- Title
- Next Generation Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA): Bigger, Better, Faster
- Creators
- Kerry A. Hamilton - Arizona State UniversityHunter Quon - Arizona State UniversityMuhammad Atif Nisar - Arizona State UniversityMichael Jahne - EPAUSJay Garland - Environmental Protection Agency (United States)Benjamin Davis - EPAUSClinton Williams - Arid Land Agricultural Research Center (United States)Nicholas J. Ashbolt - Queensland University of TechnologyJoseph N. S. Eisenberg - University of MichiganQian Zhang - Xiamen UniversitySatoshi Ishii - University of Minnesota
- Publication Details
- Environmental science & technology letters, Vol.12(11), pp.1471-1480
- Publisher
- ACS Publications
- Grant note
- National Science Foundation: 1916686
This work was supported by National Science Foundation Award 1916686 "Collaborative Research: Comprehensive Microbiological Water Quality and Risk Assessment Tools for Timely Water Management" awarded to Satoshi Ishii and Kerry Hamilton. Additional support was provided by National Science Foundation Award 2412446 "PIPP Phase II: Environmental Surveillance for Assessing Pathogen Emergence (ESCAPE)" awarded to Kerry Hamilton. The authors are grateful to Kimberly Cook and Taylor Rycroft for their input and review of this manuscript. The authors thank Sharon Nappier (U.S. EPA Office of Water) and Sean Thimons (U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development) for their thoughtful review of the draft manuscript. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or the policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Identifiers
- 991013326924202368
- Copyright
- © 2025 American Chemical Society.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article