Welcome to the Journal of Environmental Exposure Assessment (JEEA). Evaluating the risk of chemical contaminants requires knowledge of BOTH exposure and hazard. To illustrate, just because exposure to a chemical above a certain level is known to elicit an adverse health effect, it does necessarily represent a problem, if exposure does not occur at or above that level. Thus, research that quantifies the level of exposure is an essential component of chemicals risk assessment. Moreover, where overall human exposure may be at a level approaching or above that considered to be potentially harmful studies that highlight the relative contribution of different exposure pathways potentially assist the development of strategies to reduce exposure - e.g., by recommending at-risk individuals limit consumption of particular foodstuffs as with fish advisories in the United States.

While there exist journals that address the toxicological implications and endpoints of chemical contaminants in humans (i.e., the hazard); we believe there is a pressing need for a journal that publishes the findings of research into the timing, pathways, and magnitude of human exposure to chemical contaminants. As an Editorial Board, we are delighted to introduce a new outlet for high quality peer reviewed papers reporting research into both external and internal exposure to organic and inorganic contaminants. We welcome reports of studies utilising experimental (e.g., environmental monitoring/biomonitoring) and/or modelling approaches. Papers that couple assessment of both exposure and hazard (e.g., by comparison to existing health-based limit values) to assess the risk to human health are encouraged. However, for many emerging contaminants, understanding of the hazard that they present is incomplete. In such instances, research that establishes that human exposure is occurring, at what magnitude, and via which pathways, is invaluable and will find a warm welcome at JEEA.

JEEA adopts the open access model of publication, consistent with the demands of research funders and scientists around the world. As an Editorial Board, we emphasize in the strongest possible terms that this will in no way compromise the integrity of the peer-review process. Rigorous peer-review is a cornerstone of excellent research and we will work to ensure that the highest standards are maintained in handling your paper. Moreover, as scientists who publish regularly ourselves, we appreciate fully the importance of rapid processing times for our articles, and rapid turn-round times for submitted papers is another aim of JEEA.

In conclusion, we hope that you as: authors, readers, and peer-reviewers share our enthusiasm for JEEA and its provision of a high quality outlet for new research findings in the area of human exposure to chemical contaminants. We look forward to reading about your research in future issues. The Inaugural Issue of our journal will be officially launched in the first quarter of 2022. The accepted manuscript will be online released in advance in the following months.