IRAS, the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), is an interfacultary research institute within the faculties Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Biology of Utrecht University.

The institute has a double, complementary mission:
(i) IRAS performs interdisciplinary research focused on aspects of risk assessment of chemical, physical and biological agents for man and the environment, and
(ii) IRAS provides education and training in the disciplines toxicology and environmental and occupational health and epidemiology of graduate and postgraduate (Ph.D.) students.

The research is performed in two divisions: Toxicology (Tox) and Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH). The project will be performed within the Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry section of the Tox division. The research within this section is directed towards a better understanding of the exposure of chemicals in the environment in relation to effects on ecosystems and on human health. The experimental work is directed to individual organic compounds as well as complex mixtures. The research contributes to the development of mechanism based predictive methods in environmental toxicology and chemistry. This section has been active during the last decades in the field of QSARs, mixtures, exposure and bioavailability in environmental and human health related research and has produced over 150 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals. Present research is focused on bioavailability in the environment (soil and sediment) and on the exposure in in vitro tests. The section usually consists out of 10 persons, including post-docs, PhD students and technicians. The section Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry has facilities for performing chemical analyses suing a variety of analytical techniques (GC, GC-MS, HPLC, LC-MS and analysing radiolabeled chemicals).

RESEARCH TEAM: Joop Hermens, Frans Busser, Theo Sinnige, Chiel Jonker