TY  - CHAP
M1  - Book, Section
TI  - Exposures and Their Assessment, Including General and Occupational Environments
A1  - Koehler, Kirsten
A1  - Rule, Ana M.
A1  - Quirós-Alcalá, Lesliam
A2  - Boulton, Matthew L.
A2  - Wallace, Robert B.
PY  - 2022
T2  - Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health & Preventive Medicine, 16e
AB  - An  exposure  assessment  is  a  comprehensive  evaluation  of  how  an  individual  or  a  population  comes  into  contact  with  one  or  more  potentially  hazardous  agents  or  stressors  of  concern.  The  agent  or  stressor  can  be  any  biological,  chemical,  or  physical  entity  that  can  cause  or  induce  an  adverse  response  and  will  hereafter  be  referred  to  as  an  “agent.”  The  exposure  is  thus  the  concentration  or  amount  of  the  agent  that  comes  into  contact  with  a  host  over  a  relevant  time  scale.  When  defining  an  exposure,  it  is  important  to  define  three  dimensions  of  exposure:  (1)  the  exposure  level  (i.e.,  the  concentration  or  intensity);  (2)  the  duration  of  the  exposure  (i.e.,  how  long  someone  is  exposed  to  the  agent);  and  (3)  the  frequency  of  exposure  (i.e.,  how  often  the  exposure  occurs  over  some  time  scale  of  interest).  It  is  common  to  think  of  “exposure”  only  in  terms  of  the  exposure  level  or  concentration,  but  in  order  to  appropriately  characterize  an  agent’s  potential  health  effects,  all  three  dimensions  must  be  considered  over  an  appropriate  time  scale.  The  appropriate  time  scale  depends  on  the  pathogenesis  and  natural  history  of  the  health  outcome  of  concern.  For  example,  for  an  acute  response  (e.g.,  allergic  response  such  as  dermal  irritation  or  asthma  exacerbation),  the  time  scale  of  exposure  may  be  short  (minutes  to  days),  but  for  chronic  health  effects  (e.g.,  cancer),  the  time  scale  may  be  much  longer  (years  to  decades).  Additionally,  for  some  agents,  the  timing  of  when  exposures  occur  should  be  considered.  Exposures  during  critical  windows  of  development,  including  during  the  preconception,  prenatal,  and  childhood  or  adolescence  periods  may  merit  particular  attention  as  these  could  result  in  long-lasting  health  impacts.  For  example,  exposures  to  organophosphate  (OP)  pesticides  during  the  prenatal  period,  have  been  linked  to  poorer  cognition  and  behavior  problems  in  children.  Gestational  age  and  dose  are  important  determinants  for  potential  adverse  effects  in  the  offspring.1  
SN  - 
PB  - McGraw Hill
CY  - New York, NY
Y2  - 2024/04/18
UR  - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182672678
ER  -