This book offers an up-to-date guide to the concepts, procedures,
statistical methods and models used to assess human exposure to
environmental chemicals. Noting that exposure assessment is a
comparatively new discipline of the environmental sciences, the
book aims to encourage its use as a powerful tool for measuring
actual levels of exposure and determining whether interventions are
needed to protect public health. With this goal in mind, the book
gives researchers expert advice on the design and conduct of
studies, the interpretation of findings, and the best methods for
ensuring the reliability and reproducibility of results.
Throughout, emphasis is placed on the ways in which well-designed
exposure assessments can enhance the practical value of findings
from traditional epidemiological and toxicological investigations.
The book has twelve chapters. The first six cover conceptual and
methodological issues. Chapter one introduces basic concepts used
in exposure assessment, and describes direct and indirect methods
of measuring or estimating actual exposure and determining whether
intervention is required. The uses of human exposure data are
covered in chapter two, which explains how studies of human
exposure can reduce the uncertainty of estimates used in
epidemiology, risk assessment and risk management. Chapter three
considers several generic study designs and approaches, and
compares their advantages and limitations. Chapter four, on
statistical methods, discusses selective applications of
descriptive and inferential statistics, using data on lead exposure
as an example. Subsequent chapters review methods for the
collection and application of time-use data and introduce the
principles, methods and data requirements of exposure modeling.
Against this background, chapters in the second half of the book
offer practical advice on the design and conduct of studies aimed
at assessing exposure to chemicals in different environmental
media. Separate chapters describe sampling methods used to analyze
chemical concentrations in air, water, and food, and in soil and
settled dust. Environmental allergens that can contribute to
disease or alter susceptibility are considered in chapter nine,
which concentrates on methods for measuring particles from house
dust mites and their feces, allergens from pets and cockroaches,
and allergens or toxins from fungi, bacteria and pollen. Subsequent
chapters describe the use of biological markers in exposure
assessment, and discuss issues surrounding the quality assurance of
exposure studies and results. The final chapter presents brief
summaries and examples of exposure studies in order to illustrate
different study designs for different objectives, target
pollutants, and populations. Studies that show how exposure
assessment supports epidemiology and risk management, particularly
in developing countries, are also included.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
