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A look backwards at environmental risk assessment: an approach to reconstructing ecological exposures
Citation:
LATTIER, D. L., J. M. LAZORCHAK, F. A. FULK, AND M. KOSTICH. A look backwards at environmental risk assessment: an approach to reconstructing ecological exposures. Chapter 1, Bryan W. Brooks (ed.), Human Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Current and Future Perspectives. Emerging topics in Ecotoxicology. Springer, New York, NY, 4:109-137, (2012).
Impact/Purpose:
Proposed research will provide environmental science and risk assessment communities with advanced molecular biological indicator methods, complete with validation studies and guidance for their application.
Description:
The primary goal for environmental protection is to eliminate or minimize the exposure of humans and ecosystems to potential contaminants. With the number of environmental contaminants increasing annually, more than 2,000 new chemicals are manufactured or imported each year for use in the U.S., understanding the sources of contaminants through environmental media, and the contact of contaminants with humans and ecosystems is critical to advancing environmental protection in the U.S. A shift in emphasis from detection of chemical exposure to reconstruction of exposure scenarios will enhance the ability to assess the effectiveness of current environmental regulations and to improve environmental risk assessment for both humans and ecosystems. Exposure reconstruction is a concept that can guide this shift in research focus. Exposure reconstruction, as defined in this chapter, is the characterization of exposures, environmental concentrations, and/or sources from internal biological measurements that are used to inform environmental decision making.
