title: Some considerations concerning multimedia-multipollutant risk assessment methodology: use of epidemiologic data for non-cancer risk assessment in Russia.
abstract: The highly industrialized small town of Verkhnyaya Pyshma (in the Urals region of Russia) was chosen as the site of a multimedia-multipollutant risk assessment using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency methodology. The assessment was based on routine environmental pollution monitoring data for ambient air, soils, drinking water, and food, and the international environmental epidemiology literature. Using an a priori set of the preliminary health-based criteria, we selected nine pollutants for risk assessment: total suspended particles (TSP), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), ammonia arsenic, copper, cadmium, and lead. We used dose-response functions derived from epidemiologic studies to assess individual and population risks for TSP, SO2, NO2, As, Cd, and Pb. We assessed both cancer (for BaP, As, and Cd) and non-cancer (for all the chosen pollutants but BaP) responses, but in this paper we discuss only the assessments of noncarcinogenic risks due to TSP, SO2, NO2, Pb, and Cd as examples of how the quantitative estimates of health effects can be produced by using a risk function approach. We also schematically present a modified conceptual model of multimedia-multipollutant risk assessment taking into account the experience gained with this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Epidemiology, the Urals Branch of the Center for Preparation and Implementation of International Projects on Technical Assistance, Yekaterinburg, Russia. LarisaP@ocsen.mplik.ru
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Privalova
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Wilcock
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Katsnelson
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Keane
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Kuzmin
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Voronin
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Nikonov
authors.forename: V B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Gurvich
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011050:Policy Making; D011634:Public Health; D011640:Public Policy; D012107:Research Design; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants