Abstract
This paper addresses the need to evaluate the differences in exposure to pesticides between children and adults. We present a framework for evaluating these differences in exposure to pesticides through multiple exposure pathways. The concentrations in all environmental media were determined as distributions in a companion paper. All parameter values utilized in the calculation of exposure and risk are considered to be distributions, resulting in distributions for output exposure and risk. A sensitivity analysis was completed to determine the relative importance of the parameters with respect to the outcome. A joint uncertainty and variability analysis was also completed to evaluate the relative contribution between uncertain and variable parameters. Exposure to atrazine by a mid-western farming family is presented as a case study. The predicted exposure for a child based on a 14-year exposure period was 1.6 times that calculated using lifetime averaged exposure parameters. This indicates the importance of considering children as a population sub-group when calculating the exposure and risk to pesticides.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 185-198 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Reliability Engineering and System Safety |
Volume | 63 |
Issue number | 2 |
State | Published - Feb 1999 |
Keywords
- Age differentiated exposure
- Atrazine
- Multi-pathway exposure
- Risk assessment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Mechanical Engineering
- Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality