METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSMENT OF EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL-FACTORS IN APPLICATION TO EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES

Assessment of exposure to environmental factors is a crucial step in e ach study investigating the impact of these factors on health, and is an essential component of the risk assessment process. The methodology of exposure assessment is developing rapidly, creating new opportunit ies for environmental epidemiology. At the same time, the practical re quirements of population studies impose several restrictions on the fe asibility of measurement methods, and determine certain requirements r elated to the method's validity. To evaluate existing exposure assessm ent methods in terms of their applicability to environmental epidemiol ogy, the Consultation reviewed exposure assessment needs in studies of acute and delayed health effects, methods of assessing exposure throu gh specific media or routes, and issues related to study design and ex posure modelling. The recommendations refer to study design and conduc t, methods of evaluation and publication, and to the policy issues and applications.