Human exposure assessment for airborne pollutants : advances and opportunities / Committee on Advances in Assessing Human Exposure to Airborne Pollutants, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, National Research Council.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology. Committee on Advances in Assessing Human Exposure to Airborne Pollutants.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Air--Pollution--Evaluation.

Air.

Health risk assessment--Methodology.

Health risk assessment.

Pollutants--Analysis.

Pollutants.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (337 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy of Sciences, 1991.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Most people in the United States spend far more time indoors than outdoors. Yet, many air pollution regulations and risk assessments focus on outdoor air. These often overlook contact with harmful contaminants that may be at their most dangerous concentrations "indoors." A new book from the National Research Council explores the need for strategies to address indoor and outdoor exposures and examines the methods and tools available for finding out where and when significant exposures occur. The volume includes: A conceptual framework and common terminology that investigators from different disciplines can use to make more accurate assessments of human exposure to airborne contaminants. An update of important developments in assessing exposure to airborne contaminants: ambient air sampling and physical chemical measurements, biological markers, questionnaires, time-activity diaries, and modeling. A series of examples of how exposure assessments have been applied--properly and improperly--to public health issues and how the committee's suggested framework can be brought into practice. This volume will provide important insights to improve risk assessment, risk management, pollution control, and regulatory programs.

Contents:

Human Exposure Assessment for Airborne Pollutants

Copyright

Preface

Contents

Executive Summary

INTRODUCTION

THE CHARGE TO THE COMMITTEE

THE COMMITTEE'S APPROACH TO ITS CHARGE

RATIONALE FOR PERFORMING EXPOSURE ASSESSMENTS

FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING EXPOSURES TO AIR CONTAMINANTS

SAMPLING AND PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL MEASUREMENTS

Quality Control and Quality Assurance

Sampling Techniques and Strategy

Instrumental Techniques

USE OF BIOLOGICAL MARKERS IN ASSESSING HUMAN EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS

SURVEY RESEARCH METHODS AND EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT

MODELS USED IN ASSESSING HUMAN EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS

Concentration Models

Exposure Models

FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT

1 Principles of Exposure Assessment

BACKGROUND

Exposure Assessment in Environmental Epidemiology

Exposure Assessment in Occupational Epidemiology and Risk Management

Conceptual Framework for Human Exposure Assessment

Types of Studies

Community Studies

Epidemiological Studies

Industrial Hygiene Studies

Clinical Case Studies

Engineering Studies

Animal Studies

Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Studies

Behavioral Studies

SUMMARY

2 Framework for Assessing Exposures to Air Contaminants

MATHEMATICAL RELATIONSHIPS

MEASUREMENT AND ESTIMATION TECHNIQUES EMPLOYED IN EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT

Direct Measures of Exposure

Personal Monitoring

Biological Markers

Indirect Measures of Exposure

Microenvironmental Measurements

Questionnaires

Models

Mitigation Measures

INTEGRATION OF EXPOSURE-ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES

3 Sampling and Physical-Chemical Measurements

QUALITY ASSURANCE

ERRORS

Site-Selection Errors

Collection Errors

Analytical Errors

Data-Handling Errors

AIRBORNE ANALYTES.

CRITERIA FOR METHOD SELECTION

Sensitivity

Selectivity

Rapidity

Comprehensiveness

Portability

Cost

METHODOLOGY

The Measurement Process

Sampling

Passive Sampling

Active Sampling

Separation

Chromatography

Gas Chromatography

Liquid Chromatography

Supercritical Fluid Chromatography

Permselective Membranes (Microfiltration)

Sequential Solvent Extraction

Supercritical Fluid Extraction

Liquid Chromatography for Sample Preparation

Detection

Chromatography Detection Devices

Nonspecific Detectors

Selective Ionization Detectors

Thermal Conduction Devices

Organoleptic Methods

Mass Spectrometry

Mass Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry

Ion Mobility Spectrometer

Electrochemical Detectors

Potentiometry

Conductimetry

Amperometry

Spectroscopic Detectors

Infrared Detection

Microsensors

Electron Microscopy

Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA)

Radon and Radon Progeny Measurements

Radon

Radon-Decay Products

Chemometrics

Quality Control/Quality Assurance

Field-Study Instruments

4 Use of Biological Markers in Assessing Human Exposure to Airborne Contaminants

FROM EXPOSURE TO HEALTH EFFECTS: KINDS OF MARKERS

APPLICATIONS OF HUMAN BIOLOGICAL MARKERS

Markers of Exposure

Markers of Effect

UTILITY OF BIOLOGICAL MARKERS

Advantages

Improved Exposure Assessments

Validation of Pharmacokinetic Models

Improvement of Risk Extrapolation

Timely Identification of Persons or Groups at Increased Risk of Disease

Improved Epidemiological Study Design and Inference

Disadvantages and Limitations

Lack of Validation

Ambiguity of Many Markers

Variability of Markers.

Difficulty of Establishing Links Between Exposure and Markers of Effect

Confounding Influences on Biological Markers

Complexity and Resource Intensiveness

Use of Exposure Markers in Conjunction with Traditional Measures

CRITERIA GOVERNING THE VALIDATION AND USE OF BIOLOGICAL MARKERS

Validation and Selection of Biological Markers

Exposure Assessment

Understanding of Pharmacokinetics and Temporal Relevance

Understanding of "Background" Variability and Confounding Variables

Reproducibility, Sensitivity, and Specificity

Feasibility

Study Design

Adequate Sample Size

Appropriate Control Populations

Control of Potential Confounding Variables

Use of Batteries of Biological Markers

Analysis

ETHICAL ISSUES

5 Survey Research Methods and Exposure Assessment

SAMPLE SELECTION

Target Population

Response Rate

Sampling Error

Other Features

MEASUREMENT APPROACHES

Direct Approach

Indirect Approach

Integrating Personal-Monitor and Diary Information

Questionnaire Approach

Factual Questions

QUESTIONNAIRE FRAMING AND WORDING

IMPROVING SURVEY QUESTIONS

INCORPORATING SURVEY-RESEARCH METHODS INTO EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT

6 Models

IMPORTANT MODEL CHARACTERISTICS

CONCENTRATION MODELS

Outdoor Models-Contaminant Source Emissions

Validation

Contaminant Dispersion

Atmospheric Chemistry

Receptor Models

INDOOR CONTAMINANT CONCENTRATIONS

Industrial Environments

Nonindustrial Environments

Variability in Emission Rates

Mixing Within and Between Rooms

Deposition

Air Cleaning

Recent Advances

EXPOSURE-ASSESSMENT MODELS

Individual Exposures

Population Exposures

Temporal Aspects

Outdoor

Indoor

Indoor-Air Chemistry

Exposure Models.

Source Models

7 Current and Anticipated Applications

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

Introduction

Current Approaches to Exposure Assessment Under the Clean Air Act

Total Exposure-Assessment Methodology Study

Overview

Measurement Methods

Benzene

Recommendations

ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE

Air-Contaminant Measurement

Future Applications

POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

Hypothesis and Study Design

Future Needs

LEAD

Lead from Gasoline

Airborne Lead from Stationary Sources

Lead in Dusts and Soils

Outdoor-Air Measurements

Conclusions

ACIDIC PARTICULATE MATTER

Hypothesis

Measurements

Methods

SICK-BUILDING SYNDROME

Measurement Techniques (Analytical and Sampling)

TOXICS RELEASE INVENTORY

Applications to Exposure Assessment

Implications

RADON

Advances

Glossary

References

Appendix A: Basic Standard Environmental Inventory Questionnaire

Appendix B: Exposure Assessment Workshop Participants and Presentations

WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS

Session I: Application of Methodology in Assessing Human Exposure to Air Contaminants

Session II: Biomarkers of Exposure

Session III: Modeling

Session IV: Measurement Techniques

Session V: Time-Activity Patterns and Questionnaires.

Appendix C: Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources

STAFF.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-309).

ISBN:

9786610212385

9781280212383

1280212381

9780309543538

0309543533

9780585030203

0585030200

OCLC:

42329518