Human Health Risk Assessment - Dealing with Contaminated Sites: From Theory Towards Practical Application - page 210

Contents

5.1 Introduction ............................................ 210

5.1.1 Threat to Human Health ................................ 210

5.1.2 Public Perception ....................................

211

5.2 Principles of Human Health Risk Assessment .......................

212

5.2.1 Problem Definition .................................... 212

5.2.2 Risk Characterisation .................................. 212

5.2.3 Communication ..................................... 213

5.3 Exposure Assessment ......................................

213

5.3.1 Definition ......................................... 213

5.3.2 Biomonitoring ......................................

214

5.3.3 Exposure Calculations ................................. 217

5.4 Hazard Assessment ....................................... 231

5.4.1 Contaminants in the Human Body .......................... 231

5.4.2 Threshold and Non-Threshold Effects ........................ 232

5.4.3 Toxicological Reference Value for Threshold Contaminants ...........

233

5.4.4 Toxicological Reference Values for Non-Threshold Contaminants ....... 237

5.4.5 Reliability .........................................

238

5.5 Risk Characterisation ...................................... 239

5.5.1 Site-Specific Risk Assessment ............................. 239

5.5.2 Soil Quality Standards ................................. 240

5.5.3 Relevant Time Span ...................................

242

5.5.4 Background Exposure ..................................

244

5.5.5 Combined Exposure ................................... 246

5.6 A Closer Look at Human Health Risk Assessment .................... 247

5.6.1 Significance of Exceeding Toxicological Reference Values ........... 247

5.6.2 Odour Nuisance and Taste Problems .........................

248

5.6.3 Physiologically-Based PharmacoKinetic Modelling ................

249

5.6.4 Probabilistic Human Health Risk Assessment ................... 250

5.6.5 Reliability ......................................... 250

5.6.6 Ethical Issues ....................................... 251

5.6.7 Relationship Scientist and Decision-Makers ....................

252

5.6.8 Site-Specific Risk Assessment ............................. 252

References ................................................

254

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 Threat to Human Health

The contact of humans with contaminants may result in many types of health dam-
age, ranging from relatively innocent symptoms such as skin eruption or nausea, on
up to cancer or even death. Contaminants have widely differing potentials for caus-
ing health damage. However, contaminated sites can only lead to an adverse health
impact if humans are exposed to the contaminants. This exposure can result from