Public Health Assessment Public Comment Release
The amount of a substance to which a person may be exposed, usually
Dose
on a daily basis. Dose is often explained as Aamount of substance(s) per
body weight per day@.
The relationship between the amount of exposure (dose) and the change
Dose / Response
in body function or health that results.
The amount of time (days, months, years) that a person is exposed to a
Duration
chemical.
A substance (chemical) that gets into a system (person, animal, or the
Environmental
environment) in amounts higher than the Background Level, or what
Contaminant
would be expected.
Usually refers to the air, water, and soil in which chemicals of interest
Environmental
are found. Sometimes refers to the plants and animals that are eaten by
Media
humans. Environmental Media is the second part of an Exposure
Pathway.
U.S.
The federal agency that develops and enforces environmental laws to
Environmental
protect the environment and the public=s health.
Protection Agency
(EPA)
The study of the different factors that determine how often, in how
Epidemiology
many people, and in which people will disease occur.
Coming into contact with a chemical substance. (For the three ways
Exposure
people can come in contact with substances, see Route of Exposure.)
The process of finding the ways people come in contact with chemicals,
Exposure
how often and how long they come in contact with chemicals, and the
Assessment
amounts of chemicals with which they come in contact.
A description of the way that a chemical moves from its source (where
Exposure
it began) to where and how people can come into contact with (or get
Pathway
exposed to) the chemical.
ATSDR defines an exposure pathway as having 5 parts:
1. Source of Contamination,
2. Environmental Media and Transport Mechanism,
3. Point of Exposure,
4. Route of Exposure, and
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