You are here:
BIOACCUMULATION OF POPS IN FISH AND ESTIMATION OF HUMAN DIETARY EXPOSURE AND DOSE
Citation:
Sheldon, L S., M R. Berry Jr., AND D A. Vallero. BIOACCUMULATION OF POPS IN FISH AND ESTIMATION OF HUMAN DIETARY EXPOSURE AND DOSE. Presented at ISEE/ISEA '99 Conference, Athens, Greece, September 5-8, 1999.
Description:
The risk assessment process is fundamental in understanding and controlling environmental health risks. Risk assessment includes four steps: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. Exposure assessments seek to characterize "real-life" situations whereby (1) potentially exposed populations are identified, (2) potential pathways of exposure are identified, and (3) the magnitude, frequency, and duration of chemical intakes/potential doses are quantified. For many of the persistent organic pollutants (POPS), the primary route of exposure is through the diet. As an example, 90% of dioxin exposures for the general population comes from the dietary consumption of animal products including meats, fish, eggs, and diary products. Some of the highest exposures are believed to come from the ingestion of contaminated fish. Subpopulations at risk for this type of exposure may include low income individuals who rely on fish for their dietary needs, native Americans or other ethnic groups who have cultural traditions of consuming large quantities of fish, commercial anglers and recreational anglers. This paper will review information on POPS concentrations in fish. It will also evaluate data of fish consumption behaviors for several populations with higher than average levels of consumption. This information will be used to identify those populations with the highest potential exposures, quantitate their exposures, and evaluate the dose and potential health risks that can result.
This paper has been reviewed in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's peer and administrative review policies and approved for presentation and publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.