Impact/Purpose:

The objectives of this task are:

o Develop publicly accessible databases for reporting human exposure measurement data and human activity data.

o Disseminate human exposure databases and data tools to improve human exposure research and information.

o Provide quality-assured, assessable databases for use as inputs into EPA's Exposure Factors Handbook, which is currently under revision.

Description:

In the past, data from human exposure research studies often resided with the study investigators and the only way the data were disseminated was by publication in EPA reports or peer-reviewed journal manuscripts. Data were often published only as summary statistics with limited supporting documentation. There is a need for easy access by risk assessors, modelers, and other researchers to the complete data sets generated in large exposure measurement studies. EPA researchers, contractors, and grantees have performed a number of large human exposure measurement studies during the past decade. It is the goal of the researchers in the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) to make the data available to other researchers for analysis in order to further the scientific understanding of human exposure. The Human Exposure Database System (HEDS) and the Consolidated Human Activity Database (CHAD) have been developed by NERL to provide the means by which data, supporting documentation, and other study-related information can be made available to the scientific community via the world wide web. Dissemination of these data will provide needed information on human exposure to researchers, assessors, and the public. The work performed under this task will ensure that data sets on human exposure measurements and on activity patterns and /or exposure factors are available, easily understood, and readily accessible for human exposure analysts and modelers. By making its data publicly accessible, NERL will assist the Agency, Regions, States, communities, and individual in their efforts to understand the potential exposures and risks to chemicals in the environment and to develop approacheds to mitigate the risks.

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT

Start Date:10/01/1999

Projected Completion Date:09/01/2010

OMB Category:Other

Record ID: 154489

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Project Information:

Progress :The Human Exposure Database System (HEDS) is a repository for human exposure data generated by researchers in NERL. Work was initiated on the database in 1999 and has continued with the preparation and inclusion of new data sets. Progress on HEDS has included the following:

o The database and user interface were designed starting in 1999.

o The design and Web interface were peer reviewed and approved.

o HEDS was subsequently launched on the EPA website (http://www.epa.gov/heds.)

o NHEXAS data and documentation were processed, added to HEDS, and made publicly available.

o In 2003, modifications were made to meet new Agency "look and feel" requirements.

CHAD contains data obtained from pre-existing human activity studies that were collected at city, state, and national levels. CHAD is intended to provide input data for exposure/intake dose modeling and/or statistical analysis. Recent progress on CHAD includes the following

o CHAD was extended from a stand-alone Access database to a web-accessible Oracle database.

o It was modified to meet Agency's web security standards.

o CHAD was reconfigured to meet Agency's standard "look and feel."

o The functionality and user-friendliness have been improved.

Relevance :Work under this task will provide publicly-accessible databases on environmental concentrations, activity patterns, and exposure factors needed to develop and evaluate mechanistic-based models of inhalation, ingestion, and dermal exposure for use in exposure and risk assessments. This project specifically supports Agency goals by providing data needed to improve the scientific basis to identify, characterize, assess, and manage environmental exposures that pose the greatest health risks to the American public by developing models and methodologies to integrate information about exposures and effects from multiple pathways. This task specifically addresses the concerns of the Science Advisory Board that one of the major limitations for conducting exposure assessments was the lack of databases on environmental concentrations, human activity patterns, and exposure factors.

Project IDs:

ID Code :21168

Project type :OMIS