Exposure assessments methodological issues

A WHO/IPCS criteria document on human exposure assessment presents the concepts, rationale, and statistical and procedural methodologies for human exposure assessment, but does not give detailed guidance on technical issues regarding instrumental and laboratory methods (WHO/IPCS 2000). 

In the previous sections, different methods for human and ecological risk assessment of mixtures have been reviewed and discussed. Some typical mixture issues were briefly mentioned within the context of this methodological review, but they have not been extensively discussed. Examples of such issues are 1) exposure assessment, 2) sufficient similarity, 3) interactions vs. additivity, 4) QSARs, 5) uncertainties, and 6) risk perception of mixtures. These topics are discussed in more detail in the following sections. 

Blair, A. and S.H. Zahm (1990). Methodologic Issues in Exposure Assessment for Case-Control Studies of Cancer and Herbicides, Am. J. Ind. Med., 18, 285-293. 

Jacobson, J.L., and S.W. Jacobson. 1991. Assessment of teratogenic effects on cognitive and behavioral development in infancy and childhood. Pp. 248-261 in Methodological Issues in Controlled Studies on Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Drugs of Abuse, Research Monograph 114, M.M. Kilbey, and K. Asghar, eds. Rockville, MD National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

However, assessing occupational exposure to airborne contaminants in a representative way is not an easy task and requires a good deal of professional judgment and reliance on a good methodology. There are many issues to be resolved, such as... 

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