A CONCEPTUAL-FRAMEWORK TO ASSESS THE RISKS OF HUMAN-DISEASE FOLLOWINGEXPOSURE TO PATHOGENS

Currently, risk assessments of the potential human health effects asso ciated with exposure to pathogens are utilizing the conceptual framewo rk that was developed to assess risks associated with chemical exposur es. However, the applicability of the chemical framework is problemati c due to many issues that art: unique to assessing risks associated wi th pathogens. These include, but are not limited to, an assessment of pathogen/host interactions, consideration of secondary spread, conside ration of short- and long-term immunity, and an assessment of conditio ns that allow the microorganism to propagate. To address this concern, a working group was convened to develop a conceptual framework to ass ess the risks of human disease associated with exposure to pathogenic microorganisms. The framework that was developed consists of three pha ses: problem formulation, analysis (which includes characterization of exposure and human health effects), and risk characterization. The fr amework emphasizes the dynamic and iterative nature of the risk assess ment process, and allows wide latitude for planning and conducting ris k assessments in diverse situations, each based on the common principl es discussed in the framework.