Key Takeaways:
- Jacob Persky of RHP Risk Management presented on RHP Risk Management’s groundbreaking research on sunscreen inhalation safety at the 2025 ISES Annual Conference, focusing on mineral actives in powder sunscreens.
- The presentation highlights a study evaluating powder sunscreen safety using real-time air monitoring and lab analysis, measuring inhalation exposures during typical product use in a controlled environment.
- The study compares hazard minimization and human health risk assessment approaches, revealing significant implications for how regulators and manufacturers assess the safety of inhalable consumer products.
RHP Risk Management’s Jacob Persky, MPH, CIH will be presenting at the 2025 Annual Conference of the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES) on Monday, August 18. His presentation, titled “Hazard Minimization vs. Risk Assessment: Approaches to Assessing Product Safety for Mineral Actives in Powder Sunscreens,” (Jacob Persky, MPH, CIH; Frank Pagone, PhD, CIH; Anie Youngberg, MS) highlights cutting-edge research that is reshaping how we evaluate inhalation exposures from consumer products.
Bridging Science and Safety in Personal Care Products
This presentation focuses on evaluating the safety of powder-form sunscreens that contain mineral actives such as titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and zinc oxide (ZnO). The study assessed three commercially available products using a rigorous and realistic testing protocol, including real-time air monitoring and laboratory-based particle analysis. Testing was conducted in a controlled clean-room environment with a volunteer subject, measuring actual inhalation exposures during typical product use.
A Comparative Look: Hazard Minimization vs Risk Assessment
The study compares two divergent approaches to safety assessment:
- Hazard Minimization Approach: This method considers only the presence of particles below a certain size (specifically <10 microns), as outlined by EU guidelines.
- Human Health Risk Assessment Approach: By contrast, this more nuanced method evaluates actual exposure in the context of known toxicological thresholds, particle agglomeration, and coating characteristics.
Implications for Regulation and Product Safety
The selected approach has significant implications for how regulatory agencies and manufacturers assess the safety of inhalable consumer products. RHP’s study challenges the limitations of hazard-based criteria and champions the value of exposure-driven, risk-based assessments — ensuring both consumer safety and scientific integrity.
Join RHP Risk Management at ISES 2025
The presentation will offer valuable insights into the evolving methodologies for assessing consumer product safety, particularly where inhalation exposure to mineral actives is concerned. Attendees can expect a thought-provoking discussion on the limitations of hazard-based standards and the advantages of a risk-based framework that incorporates real-world exposure data. This session is highly relevant for professionals in regulatory science, toxicology, industrial hygiene, and product stewardship.
Date: Monday, August 18, 2025
Event: International Society of Exposure Science Annual Conference
Presenter: Jacob Persky, RHP Risk Management, Inc.
Presentation Title: Hazard Minimization vs. Risk Assessment: Approaches to Assessing Product Safety for Mineral Actives in Powder Sunscreens
About RHP Risk Management
RHP Risk Management is an environmental and occupational health consulting firm of scientists, toxicologists, public health professionals, and risk assessors that cover practices including environmental engineering, industrial hygiene, exposure science, and human health interaction and risk assessment.
RHP works with clients to develop solutions to their most pressing concerns. Understanding exposures and risks through a grounding in a sound, defensible, state-of-the-art scientific approach gives our clients peace of mind. Empowered by a comprehensive understanding of exposure we can provide, clients with reliable, strong data and tools to recognize unseen business and liability risks, manage known risks and mitigate, target areas for control systems, comply with regulations, and be better braced for regulatory or liability actions.
Contact RHP Risk Management by calling (866) 481-8188.