Over the last several decades, numerous environmental pollutants have been examined as potential risk factors for various diseases and health responses. Most studies have focused on single pollutants, that is, examining a single factor or a set of species (e.g., arsenic species; polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners). However, in real life we are exposed to multiple pollutants and pollutant mixtures, not single pollutants. This complex exposure profile may have additive, synergistic or antagonistic effects which are not being detected by single pollutant approaches. In addition, the impact of combined exposures to multiple pollutants may differ from the sum of the impacts from single pollutant assessments [1].
