Conceptual framework for designing a national survey of human exposure.
The development and implementation of a National Human Exposure Assessment Survey requires a sound conceptual framework in order to select the population for study, the chemicals of concern, and the media and routes of exposure requiring direct and indirect measurements. A three-level conceptual model is presented within a multidimensional space that provides the basic parameters needed to be considered in the design of such a study. The axis common to all three levels is the duration of exposure. A fundamental need in a national survey is information on environmentally relevant chemicals, the biological mechanisms and health responses, the types of personal contact, the environmental concentrations, the sources, and the populations at risk. Application of the model is appropriate for exposures that can lead to acute or chronic health effects. Five chemicals are used to illustrate the need for multimedia and multiroute exposure analyses of the general population.
Lioy
P J
PJ
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Piscataway, New Jersey 08855-1179, USA. PLoy@EOHSI.Rutgers.edu
Pellizzari
E
E
D001822:Body Burden; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans