Public Health Assessment Public Comment Release
Glossary. The categories are:
B Urgent Public Health Hazard
B Public Health Hazard
B Indeterminate Public Health Hazard
B No Apparent Public Health Hazard
B No Public Health Hazard
People who live or work in the path of one or more chemicals, and who
Receptor
could come into contact with them (See Exposure Pathway).
Population
Reference Dose
An estimate, with safety factors (see safety factor) built in, of the daily,
life-time exposure of human populations to a possible hazard that is not
(RfD)
likely to cause harm to the person.
The amount of a compound that can be absorbed from a particular
Relative
medium (such as soil) compared to the amount absorbed from a
Bioavailability
reference material (such as water). Expressed in percentage form.
The way a chemical can get into a person=s body. There are three
Route of Exposure
exposure routes:
B breathing (also called inhalation),
B eating or drinking (also called ingestion), and
B getting something on the skin (also called dermal contact).
Safety Factor
Also called Uncertainty Factor. When scientists don't have enough
information to decide if an exposure will cause harm to people, they use
Asafety factors@ and formulas in place of the information that is not
known. These factors and formulas can help determine the amount of a
chemical that is not likely to cause harm to people.
SARA
The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act in 1986 amended
CERCLA (see CERCLA) and expanded the health-related
responsibilities of ATSDR. CERCLA and SARA direct ATSDR to look
into the health effects resulting from chemical exposures at hazardous
waste sites.
The number of people that are needed for a health study.
Sample Size
A small number of people chosen from a larger population (see
Sample
Population).
The place where a chemical comes from, such as a landfill, pond, creek,
Source
incinerator, tank, or drum. Contaminant source is the first part of an
(of
Exposure Pathway.
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