Measurement methods for human exposure analysis.

Abstract

The general methods used to complete measurements of human exposures are identified and illustrations are provided for the cases of indirect and direct methods used for exposure analysis. The application of the techniques for external measurements of exposure, microenvironmental and personal monitors, are placed in the context of the need to test hypotheses concerning the biological effects of concern. The linkage of external measurements to measurements made in biological fluids is explored for a suite of contaminants. This information is placed in the context of the scientific framework used to conduct exposure assessment. Examples are taken from research on volatile organics and for a large scale problem: hazardous waste sites. -Environ Health Perspect 103(Suppl 3): 35-44 (1995)

Chronic Kidney Disease Associated With Environmental Toxins and Exposures

“…Finally, this agent should cause a similar pattern of kidney injury when present in disparate geographic regions. 3 In the following review, we summarize toxins and environmental exposures that have been associated with CKD. Some of these exposures, such as industrial solvents, are more commonly associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) from accidental exposure, but as they have also been implicated as a cause of CKD, they are included in this review.…”

Personalized Exposure Assessment: Promising Approaches for Human Environmental Health Research

“…The committee identified a “toolbox” of methods that can be used alone or in combinations to provide information about individual exposure for a variety of exposure scenarios (Lioy 1995). Certain methods within the toolbox, such as environmental sensors and geographic information systems (GIS), can be used to derive information about external environmental exposures and the personal activity patterns that influence the magnitude, frequency, duration, and pathways of exposure.…”

“…Other methods, such as biologic sensors, toxicogenomics, and body burden assays, can be used to derive measurements of internal biologic exposure. Linking the data sets across multiple scales provides an integrated view of exposure that is needed to define complex exposure–disease relationships and the interplay between genes, environmental factors, and behavior in disease occurrence (Lioy 1995; Maier et al 2004). We discuss each of these methods in relation to current applicability to human health studies; we also identify specific gaps in the development, validation, and application of the methods.…”

Design and analysis issues in gene and environment studies

“…Single measurement may not be reliable especially in those investigating long-term chronic effects. Incorporating long-term monitoring data with different exposure assessment techniques is needed to provide an integrated view of exposure in complex exposure–disease relationships [59,60]. …”