Epidemiologic approaches for assessing health risks from complex mixtures in indoor air

Journal Article · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.919571· OSTI ID:5373766

Samet, J M; Lambert, W E ^[1]

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1. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque (United States)

Indoor air may be contaminated by diverse gaseous and particulate pollutants that may adversely affect health. As a basis for controlling adverse health effects of indoor air pollution, the presence of a hazard needs to be confirmed, and the quantitative relationship between exposure and response needs to be described. Toxicological, clinical, and epidemiological studies represent complementary approaches for obtaining the requisite evidence. The assessment of the effects of complex mixtures poses a difficult challenge for epidemiologists. Understanding the effects of exposure may require accurate assessment of concentrations and personal exposures to multiple agents and analytical approaches that can identify independent effects of single agents and the synergistic or antagonistic effects that may occur in mixtures. The array of epidemiological study designs for this task includes descriptive studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies, each having potential advantages and disadvantages for studying complex mixtures. This presentation considers issues related to exposure assessment and study design for addressing the effects of complex mixtures in indoor air.

• OSTI ID: 5373766
• Journal Information: Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Health Perspectives; (United States) Vol. 95; ISSN 0091-6765; ISSN EVHPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLOIDS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISEASES
DISPERSIONS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
ISOTOPES
MATTER
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NITROGEN OXIDES
NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADON 222
RADON ISOTOPES
RESIDUES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
RISK ASSESSMENT
SMOKES
SOLS
SYNERGISM
TOBACCO SMOKES
VOLATILE MATTER