ALETHEIA Research Frontier

Five open research questions where the science doesn't have definitive answers yet. These scope documents define what ALETHEIA needs to investigate to provide honest, evidence-based guidance instead of false certainty. Phase 10D output. Generated 2026-03-23.

5
Research Domains
frontier questions
35
Weeks Total
combined timeline
~40
Compounds Affected
across all 5 domains
100%
Actionable Alternatives
maintained via Phase 10A-C
Why research scope documents? These are not data enrichment tasks — they're genuinely open scientific questions. The ALETHEIA database should surface these uncertainties explicitly rather than pretend the answers are known. Each scope document defines the question, methodology, expected outcomes, and what database actions each possible conclusion would trigger.

1Research Domains

F
PFAS Regrettable Substitution
Are short-chain PFAS actually safer, or just less studied?
When PFOS/PFOA were phased out, industry substituted GenX, PFBS, 6:2 FTS, and other short-chain PFAS. This research scope examines whether these are genuinely safer alternatives or a textbook case of regrettable substitution — with implications for how ALETHEIA classifies 9 PFAS compounds.
Compounds: 9 PFAS Timeline: 6 weeks Priority: HIGH Method: Literature + CompTox + PBPK
MP
Microplastic Dose-Response
At what particle size and dose do microplastics become toxicologically significant?
The database contains 11 microplastic entries flagged as degradation products with no substitute. But without dose-response data, we can't contextualize the risk. This scope defines how to determine whether current human exposure levels are concerning or orders of magnitude below effect thresholds.
Compounds: 11 microplastics Timeline: 9 weeks Priority: HIGH Method: BMD modeling + PBPK + MOE
NM
Nanomaterial Migration
Do nanoparticle coatings migrate at levels of concern from consumer products?
Nano-hydroxyapatite, nanoclay, and nano-platinum are in consumer products but flagged as emerging nanomaterials with no substitute. The critical question: does "nanoparticle in product" equal "nanoparticle exposure"? Product-bound nanoparticles may have completely different risk profiles than free particles.
Compounds: 6 nanomaterials Timeline: 7 weeks Priority: MODERATE Method: Migration modeling + Monte Carlo exposure
Bx
Biocide-Free Formulation
Can preservative-free formulations maintain adequate shelf life?
Isothiazolinones (MIT, MCI/MI) are potent sensitizers banned or restricted in the EU. The database lists alternatives, but can they actually deliver equivalent antimicrobial protection across ALL product categories? This scope identifies where biocide-free is viable vs. where isothiazolinone dependency is real.
Compounds: 5 biocides Timeline: 7 weeks Priority: HIGH Method: Challenge testing + QRA + formulation matrix
Dt
Dental Composite Alternatives
Do BPA-free dental composites actually reduce monomer leaching?
Traditional Bis-GMA/TEGDMA composites leach BPA-related monomers into saliva. Newer alternatives (Ormocer, giomer, bioactive glass) claim reduced leaching. This scope quantifies whether the exposure reduction is real and whether mechanical performance trade-offs are acceptable.
Compounds: 9 dental compounds Timeline: 6 weeks Priority: MODERATE Method: Salivary simulation + biomonitoring + clinical meta-analysis

2Combined Timeline

All five research domains can be parallelized. With parallel execution, the total timeline is 9 weeks (bounded by the microplastic dose-response domain). Sequential execution would require 35 weeks.

PFAS
6
weeks
Microplastic
9
weeks
Nanomaterial
7
weeks
Biocide
7
weeks
Dental
6
weeks

3Scope Boundaries

These research scope documents define what to investigate and how, not the investigation results themselves. They are planning artifacts that:

Define the research question precisely. Identify the compounds and products affected. Specify the evidence framework and methodology. Map out expected outcomes and what database actions each conclusion would trigger. Estimate timelines and resource requirements. List key references as starting points.

They do not contain the research findings, dose-response curves, or definitive safety conclusions. Those emerge from executing the research plans.