Public Health Risk Assessment for Human Exposure to Chemicals

Public Health Risk Assessment for Human Exposure to Chemicals
Author: K. Asante-Duah
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9401004811

In fact, with the control and containment of most infectious conditions and diseases of the past millennium having been achieved in most developed countries, and with the resultant increase in life expectancies, much more attention seems to have shifted to degenerative health problems. Many of the degenerative health conditions have been linked to thousands of chemicals regularly encountered in human living and occupational/work environments. It is important, therefore, that human health risk assessments are undertaken on a consistent basis - in order to determine the potential impacts of the target chemicals on public health.

Human and Ecological Risk Assessment

Human and Ecological Risk Assessment
Author: Dennis J. Paustenbach
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 1476
Release: 2017-05-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1119441331

Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: Theory and Practice assembles the expertise of more than fifty authorities from fifteen different fields, forming a comprehensive reference and textbook on risk assessment. Containing two dozen case studies of environmental or human health risk assessments, the text not only presents the theoretical underpinnings of the discipline, but also serves as a complete handbook and "how-to" guide for individuals conducting or interpreting risk assessments. In addition, more than 4,000 published papers and books in the field are cited. Editor Dennis Paustenbach has assembled chapters that present the most current methods for conducting hazard identification, dose-response and exposure assessment, and risk characterization components for risk assessments of any chemical hazard to humans or wildlife (fish, birds, and terrestrials). Topics addressed include hazards posed by: Air emissions Radiological hazards Contaminated soil and foods Agricultural hazards Occupational hazards Consumer products and water Hazardous waste sites Contaminated air and water The bringing together of so many of the world's authorities on these topics, plus the comprehensive nature of the text, promises to make Human and Ecological Risk Assessment the text against which others will be measured in the coming years.

Science and Judgment in Risk Assessment

Science and Judgment in Risk Assessment
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 668
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030904894X

The public depends on competent risk assessment from the federal government and the scientific community to grapple with the threat of pollution. When risk reports turn out to be overblownâ€"or when risks are overlookedâ€"public skepticism abounds. This comprehensive and readable book explores how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can improve its risk assessment practices, with a focus on implementation of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. With a wealth of detailed information, pertinent examples, and revealing analysis, the volume explores the "default option" and other basic concepts. It offers two views of EPA operations: The first examines how EPA currently assesses exposure to hazardous air pollutants, evaluates the toxicity of a substance, and characterizes the risk to the public. The second, more holistic, view explores how EPA can improve in several critical areas of risk assessment by focusing on cross-cutting themes and incorporating more scientific judgment. This comprehensive volume will be important to the EPA and other agencies, risk managers, environmental advocates, scientists, faculty, students, and concerned individuals.

Phthalates and Cumulative Risk Assessment

Phthalates and Cumulative Risk Assessment
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2009-01-19
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0309128412

People are exposed to a variety of chemicals throughout their daily lives. To protect public health, regulators use risk assessments to examine the effects of chemical exposures. This book provides guidance for assessing the risk of phthalates, chemicals found in many consumer products that have been shown to affect the development of the male reproductive system of laboratory animals. Because people are exposed to multiple phthalates and other chemicals that affect male reproductive development, a cumulative risk assessment should be conducted that evaluates the combined effects of exposure to all these chemicals. The book suggests an approach for cumulative risk assessment that can serve as a model for evaluating the health risks of other types of chemicals.

Science and Decisions

Science and Decisions
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 422
Release: 2009-03-24
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0309120462

Risk assessment has become a dominant public policy tool for making choices, based on limited resources, to protect public health and the environment. It has been instrumental to the mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as other federal agencies in evaluating public health concerns, informing regulatory and technological decisions, prioritizing research needs and funding, and in developing approaches for cost-benefit analysis. However, risk assessment is at a crossroads. Despite advances in the field, risk assessment faces a number of significant challenges including lengthy delays in making complex decisions; lack of data leading to significant uncertainty in risk assessments; and many chemicals in the marketplace that have not been evaluated and emerging agents requiring assessment. Science and Decisions makes practical scientific and technical recommendations to address these challenges. This book is a complement to the widely used 1983 National Academies book, Risk Assessment in the Federal Government (also known as the Red Book). The earlier book established a framework for the concepts and conduct of risk assessment that has been adopted by numerous expert committees, regulatory agencies, and public health institutions. The new book embeds these concepts within a broader framework for risk-based decision-making. Together, these are essential references for those working in the regulatory and public health fields.

Applications of Toxicogenomic Technologies to Predictive Toxicology and Risk Assessment

Applications of Toxicogenomic Technologies to Predictive Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2007-12-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309112982

The new field of toxicogenomics presents a potentially powerful set of tools to better understand the health effects of exposures to toxicants in the environment. At the request of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Research Council assembled a committee to identify the benefits of toxicogenomics, the challenges to achieving them, and potential approaches to overcoming such challenges. The report concludes that realizing the potential of toxicogenomics to improve public health decisions will require a concerted effort to generate data, make use of existing data, and study data in new waysâ€"an effort requiring funding, interagency coordination, and data management strategies.

Exposure Assessment in Environmental Epidemiology

Exposure Assessment in Environmental Epidemiology
Author: Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2015
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0199378789

This completely updated edition of Exposure Assessment in Environmental Epidemiology offers a practical introduction to exposure assessment methodologies in environmental epidemiologic studies. In addition to methods for traditional methods -- questionnaires, biomonitoring -- this new edition is expanded to include geographic information systems, modeling, personal sensoring, remote sensing, and OMICs technologies. In addition, each of these methods is contextualized within a recent epidemiology study, maximizing illustration for students and those new to these to these techniques. With clear writing and extensive illustration, this book will be useful to anyone interested in exposure assessment, regardless of background.

Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields

Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields
Author: Patrick Staebler
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2017-05-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1119384524

Everyone, whether they like it or not, is exposed to electromagnetic fields, most of the time, at very low levels. In this case, they are inconsequential, but they can cause adverse health effects when they become intense enough. This topic is complex and sensitive. Covering frequencies from 0 Hz to 300 GHz, Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields provides an overview of this vast topic. After a reminder of the concepts of electromagnetic fields, the author presents some examples of sources of radiation in daily life and in the industrial or medical sectors. The biophysical and biological effects of these fields on the human body are detailed and the exposure limits are recalled. The exposure assessment and the implementation of the appropriate regulation within companies are also covered. Technically and practically, this book is aimed at people with a scientific background, risk prevention actors, health physicians, especially occupational doctors, and equipment designers.

Occupational Exposure Assessment for Air Contaminants

Occupational Exposure Assessment for Air Contaminants
Author: Gurumurthy Ramachandran
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 357
Release: 2005-03-24
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1420032151

Addressing occupational exposure assessment for air contaminants as a coherent body of knowledge, this is the first book to explore occupational air contaminant measurement and properties, human exposure assessment, design of exposure strategies, and the statistical interpretation of exposure measurements in one comprehensive source. The book covers both the technological aspects of measuring air contaminants and the occupational hygiene framework within which such measurements take place. The all-inclusive exploration of the major theories and practices of occupational exposure assessment for air contaminants make this an ideal textbook for graduate or upper-level undergraduate courses.

Controlled Human Inhalation-Exposure Studies at EPA

Controlled Human Inhalation-Exposure Studies at EPA
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 159
Release: 2017-04-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030945252X

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a mission and regulatory responsibility to protect human health and the environment. EPA's pursuit of that goal includes a variety of research activities involving human subjects, such as epidemiologic studies and surveys. Those research activities also involve studies of individuals who volunteer to be exposed to air pollutants intentionally in controlled laboratory settings so that measurements can be made of transient and reversible biomarker or physiologic responses to those exposures that can indicate pathways of toxicity and mechanisms of air-pollution responses. The results of those controlled human inhalation exposure (CHIE) studies, also referred to as human clinical studies or human challenge studies, are used to inform policy decisions and help establish or revise standards to protect public health and improve air quality. Controlled Human Inhalation-Exposure Studies at EPA addresses scientific issues and provides guidance on the conduct of CHIE studies. This report assesses the utility of CHIE studies to inform and reduce uncertainties in setting air-pollution standards to protect public health and assess whether continuation of such studies is warranted. It also evaluates the potential health risks to test subjects who participated in recent studies of air pollutants at EPA's clinical research facility.