Managing human exposure and health risks: An integrated approach and the role of uncertainty

Conference · Wed Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:5714203

McKone, T E

Human populations contact environmental pollutants through food,water, and air in varying amounts each day throughout a lifetime. A realistic strategy for managing health risks of environmental contaminants therefore requires a comprehensive and integrated approach. Using examples for exposure to contaminants in potable water and to contaminants transferred from air to food, this paper considers two important issues in exposure assessment -- the completeness of current exposure models and the treatment of uncertainty in exposure estimates. The results indicate that risk managers should consider the potential for multiple pathways, avoid risk assessments derived from single value estimates, be aware of the uncertainty in risk estimates, and include this awareness in their decisions.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5714203
• Report Number(s): UCRL-100511; CONF-890909-1; ON: DE89008611
• 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.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
CHLOROFORM
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
FOOD
FORECASTING
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INHALATION
INTAKE
MANAGEMENT
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTANTS
POPULATIONS
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
RISK ASSESSMENT
WATER