Exposure Assessment at Work

Exposure Assessment
This is the process of estimating or measuring the magnitude, frequency and duration of exposure to an agent, as well as the number and characteristics of the population exposed. It describes sources, pathways, routes and uncertainties. Exposure analysis describes how an individual or population comes in contact with a contaminant. This is used at work to protect workers from some occupational hazards

Exposure
Exposure is defined as the contact between an agent and a target, which takes place at an exposure surface over an exposure period. Possible routes include inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption. Exposure factors include diet, location, age, breathing rate, time spent commuting, showering or vacuuming, and type of residence.

Measurement of Exposure

 * direct measurement at point of contact through biomarkers: continuous measure of contaminant reaching target through all routes;
 * indirect measurement: measure of contaminants during all activities, multiplied by amount of time spent in each location or contact rate with each media.

Related articles

 * Risk Analysis at Work
 * Exposure Limits