Assessing risks and preventing disease from environmental chemicals

Journal Article · · Journal of Community Health; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01324366· OSTI ID:6983246

Dunnette, D A ^[1]

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1. Portland State Univ., Oregon (USA)

In the last 25 years there has been considerable concern expressed about the extent to which chemical agents in the ambient and work environments are contributing to the causation of disease. This concern is a logical extension of our increased knowledge of the real and potential effects of environmental chemicals and the methodological difficulties in applying new knowledge that could help prevent environmentally induced disease. Chemical risk assessment offers an approach to estimating risks and involves consideration of relevant information including identification of chemical hazards, evaluation of the dose-response relationship, estimation of exposure and finally, risk characterization. Particularly significant uncertainties which are inherent in use of this and other risk models include animal-human and low dose-high dose extrapolation and estimation of exposure. Community public health risks from exposure to environmental chemicals appear to be small relative to other public health risks based on information related to cancer trends, dietary intake of synthetic chemicals, assessment data on substances such as DDT and dioxin, public health effects of hazardous waste sites and contextual considerations. Because of inherent uncertainty in the chemical risk assessment process, however, we need to apply what methods are available in our efforts to prevent disease induced by environmental chemicals. There are a number of societal strategies which can contribute to overall reduction of risk from environmental chemicals. These include acquisition of information on environmental risk including toxicity, intensity and extensity of exposure, biological monitoring, disease surveillance, improvement in epidemiological methods, control of environmental chemical exposures, and dissemination of hazardous chemical information.

• OSTI ID: 6983246
• Journal Information: Journal of Community Health; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Community Health; (USA) Vol. 14:3; ISSN 0094-5145; ISSN JCMHB
• 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.
ANIMALS
DIOXIN
EDUCATION
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
MAN
MATERIALS
MONITORING
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRIMATES
RISK ASSESSMENT
VERTEBRATES
XENOBIOTICS