Human Exposure Analysis
Human Exposure Analysis
Human exposure analysis is the science of determining where, when, how, and what people are exposed to as well as where it comes from -- that is, exposure analysis covers the complete environmental pathways from quantitative levels of exposure to the sources of the exposure (see full risk model on Page 2 by clicking on the top of this page). By explaining exposure in reverse order -- with people first and the pollutant sources last -- we emphasize the exposure analysis is often receptor-oriented, beginning with the receptor -- typically the human being -- and working backwards from the receptor to find the source. Here is a typical question, “Is the person exposed to the agent (or pollutant) and by how much is he or she exposed?” If no exposure occurs, then it may not be not necessary to work backwards to find a source, because an important principle of health risk analysis is that a person cannot experience adverse health effects from a pollutant unless the person is first exposed to that pollutant. Exposure analysis, as a formal science, usually does not consider just one person but rather the members of a population making up a population distribution of exposures. An exposure ordinarily is measured in concentration units of a pollutant at a particular instant of time: It is the concentration that comes into contact with the person at that instant of time. Examples of pollutants are carbon monoxide, particulate matter, dioxin, and benzene, although there can be other agents besides chemicals, such as ultraviolet light and radiation.
In this Web site, we discuss the basic concepts of exposure analysis, offering some examples of exposure analysis research with the cigarette as a source, and we include a list of references to published papers and books that may be of interest for future reading. This Web site was created by investigators working at Stanford University, and its contents therefore primarily reflect the exposure analysis projects done at the University, where one of the first formal college courses on Human Exposure Analysis has been taught for over a decade. The formal study of exposure analysis is an important component of the environmental health sciences, and the International Society of Exposure Analysis (http://www.iseaweb.org) has been established as an international organization that holds annual meetings, publishes a scientific journal (the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology), fosters scientific research, and serves as a communications link for scientists throughout the world who are working on the solutions to exposure analysis problems.
Measurement of’
particle concentrations
at an outdoor patio
where smoking is
permitted.
See the linked announcement for the new textbook on Exposure Analysis published by CRC-Press in 2006: Exposure Analysis.pdf
Instrument package for measuring pollutant concentrations automatically in the home.
(Click on the Area Above to Go to the Other Pages.)
