Pathways and Routes of Exposure

Nerve agents are hazardous through any route of exposure including inhalation, exposure of the skin and eye, ingestion, and broken, abraded, or lacerated skin (e.g., penetration of skin by debris). 

---

Toxicology (effects, pathways and routes of exposure, general exposure hazards, latency period)... 

Biomonitoring data are more challenging to interpret than other exposure measures, such as personal air sampling or exposure diaries, in that they provide information on internal doses that are integrated across environmental pathways and routes of exposure and directly reflect the amount of chemicals that are absorbed into the blood and are distributed, stored, metabolized, and excreted. Therefore, not only must the complexities of the biologic system be considered, but also the properties of the chemicals or their metabolites. 

Cumulative risk The risk of a common toxic effect associated with concurrent exposure by all relevant pathways and routes of exposure to a group of chemicals that share a common mechanism of toxicity (USEPA, 2002). 

---