How can the mining and metals industry prove that metals and inorganic metal compounds can be produced and used safely? These issues are addressed in ICMM"s latest publication - Health Risk Assessment Guidance for Metals (HERAG).

HERAG is the result of a three-year project developed with Eurofer, Eurometaux and EBRC Consulting. It has assembled a set of the most advanced and appropriate methods available for human-health based risk assessment of metals.

These concepts are presented in a series of eight fact sheets, which have been peer-reviewed by a panel of leading independent scientists. They are intended as 'living documents' and will be updated and supplemented as the science continues to evolve.

Traditionally, the majority of risk assessments, and consequently guidance materials, have focused on organic chemicals. In many cases such guidance fails to adequately address specific characteristics of metals that must be taken into account to perform accurate risk assessments.

HERAG builds on the successes of its predecessor MERAG - Metals Environmental Risk Assessment Guidance. This was developed to provide analogous concepts for environmental assessment.

ICMM program director John Atherton says: "For ICMM's members, risk assessment is a vital component of materials stewardship - whereby companies are extending their interest beyond the factory gate and considering the whole life cycle of their products. HERAG provides the tools that many actors in the value chain need to form a robust risk assessment for metals."

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