When conducting an exposure assessment, researchers take the information gleaned from the hazard and dose-response assessments and apply it to the real world, evaluating the conditions under which people could be exposed to contaminants and the doses that they may be subjected to. According to the Extension Toxicology Network, there are three basic approaches to conducting an exposure assessment: analyzing the source of exposure (i.e., levels in drinking water or workplace air), measuring the environment (i.e., human blood and urine levels), and conducting laboratory tests; for example, blood or urine of the people thought to be exposed.
Assessments must take into account a number of variables with respect to exposure, including the amount of exposure, contact with other substances that can reduce or increase the effect, and the general health of the individual. These assessments also estimate how much and how many people may have been exposed to a substance, taking into consideration other factors, including how quickly a substance disperses or breaks down, or the pathway(s) by which the individual may encounter the substance.
Exposure can be measured in many different ways. A person may encounter a hazard over a specific time period: a single exposure (one-time only); an acute exposure (a day or two), or a chronic exposure (continuous exposure measured in months or years), referring to the duration of each exposure. Exposure can also be characterized by pathway: whether a hazardous substance was applied to the skin, ingested, inhaled, or injected. In addition, exposure assessments may take into account the physical form of the substance, measuring the possible effect of a material in solid, liquid, or gas form. Finally, exposure can occur through several pathways simultaneously, for example, by living in a house with lead paint and playing with toys made of lead-based ingredients.
Guidelines for Exposure Assessment
The EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment describe the general concepts of exposure assessment including definitions and associated units, and provide guidance on the planning and conducting of an exposure assessment.
Exposure Factors Handbook
The EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment created a downloadable guide that addresses factors commonly used in exposure assessments.
Extension Toxicology Network: Risk Assessment Background, 1993.