Abstract |
This document is one of a series of volumes, developed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Toxic Substances (DrS), that provides methods and information useful for assessing exposure to chemical substances. The methods described in these volumes have been identified by EPA-Drs as having utility in exposure assessments on existing and new chemicals in the OTS program. These methods are not necessarily the only methods used by OTS, because the state-of-the art in exposure assessment is changing rapidly, as is the availability of methods and tools. There is no single correct approach to performing an exposure assessment, and the methods in these volumes are accordingly discussed only as options to be considered, rather than as rigid procedures. Perhaps more important than the optional methods presented in these volumes is the general information catalogued. These documents contain a great deal of non-chemical-specific data which can be used for many types of exposure assessments. This information is presented along with the methods in individual volumes and appendices. As a set, these volumes should be thought of as a catalog of information useful in exposure assessment, and not as a 'how-to' cookbook on the subject. |