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Exposure to airborne fine particulate matter has been a pressing issue since the early 1990s when several studies reported health effects at unexpectedly low ambient levels. Since this time, several reviews have addressed various aspects of this topic. This article is the first of a two‐part review of reviews. The intention of these articles is to provide a consolidated overview about fine particulate matter exposure assessment. This article, Part I, begins with a general introduction to particulate matter which includes general properties of particulate matter, how it is classified and how it is associated with health effects. Fundamental concepts related to exposure are also summarized. The remainder of the article focuses on measurement‐based methods for assessing exposure to fine particulate matter. A subsequent article, Part II, addresses modeling approaches used for particulate matter exposure assessment. Current and recommended future directions for assessing exposure to fine particulate matter are also summarized in each of these two articles.

Exposure modeling has become a fundamental component of exposure analysis as it provides an efficient and economical means for assessing exposure of individuals to populations over a variety of spatial and temporal scales for past, current, future, or hypothetical conditions. For airborne particulate matter, traditional modeling approaches typically utilize ambient concentration data to assign exposure levels across an area of interest for a given period of time. Technological advancements have allowed for more sophisticated and innovative modeling approaches that combine exposure measurements and ⁄ or models to integrate the strengths of individual methods. The purpose of this article is to provide a general overview of both conventional and novel approaches of modeling exposure to fine particulate matter.

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