Monte Carlo Risk Assessment (MCRA) software : maintenance and management 2016

This report shows the adjustments in the Monte Carlo Risk Assessment (MCRA) computational model implemented by RIVM and Wageningen UR Biometris in 2016. MCRA is a computational tool that presently gives the most realistic chemical intake via food. The model is available for registered users via the internet (https://mcra.rivm.nl). The new version of MCRA, version 8.2, was published in December 2016. This version contains new functionalities to calculate the cumulative intake of chemical mixtures via food. Furthermore, this version contains a number of adjustments that easily allow data from several countries to be included simultaneously in an exposure assessment. These new functionalities have been implemented as part of the partnership agreement between RIVM and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the EU project EuroMix, among other things. Furthermore, an analysis was carried out in 2016 to identify options to reduce potential health risks of certain chemicals in food. To quantify these options, a general tool design was developed within MCRA; this design will be implemented in 2017. MCRA was used in 2016 in the risk assessment of acrylamide in Ras fries (fries made from potato flour) for the Front Office Food and Product Safety. It was also used to calculate the intake of various chemicals that can contaminate food and food additives such as 3-MCPD, flame retardants and nitrite