The individual components of the CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) category of hazardous agents are characterised by distinct properties, particularly in terms of their health effects. This makes assessing the overall impact of exposure to two or more CBRN agents on human health highly complex. Each agent interacts with human tissues and organs through specific mechanisms, making it difficult to consolidate their effects into a single measure or express the total harm as a response to multiple exposures using one unit or parameter. Furthermore, health effects from low-level CBRN exposure may be limited to stochastic outcomes, while higher exposure levels can lead to deterministic effects. Comprehensive assessment of total CBRN health risk is essential in all contexts where such hazardous substances are managed or used—whether under controlled conditions or in cases of malicious or terrorist misuse. The paper provides an overview of current methodologies for quantifying the health risk associated with CBRN exposure, highlighting the need to account for the contributions from more than one individual CBRN component.

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