ABSTRACT
Exposure assessment may be entirely based on direct measurements of exposure. Cancer risk assessment must put exposure estimates together with a dose-response function. The field of exposure measurements is subdivided into a number of categories, generally identified by environmental media since each presents its particular problems. Personal exposure monitoring involves attaching an air-sampling device to a person. Many occupational exposures are through the air route, and sampling techniques generally use personal exposure monitoring supplemented by fixed monitors. Occupational exposure also follows other routes. Skin contact has proved a difficult exposure for which to develop quantitative estimates. The depth of concern depends upon the circumstances of contamination and potential exposure. The methods developed for sampling and analysis of food in the Food and Drug Administration's Total Diet Study might form the basis of any direct measurements of exposure via food in an exposure assessment.
