Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
cluster investigations;
comprehensive case reviews;
situation-specific surveillance;
health statistics reviews;
exposure investigations;
disease and symptom prevalence surveys.
The quality of these studies depends on (ATSDR 1996 ):
a reasonable ability to document and characterise exposure in the target area;
an adequate study size for the type of study recommended;
an ability to identify and locate subjects and records;
appropriate comparisons for rates of occurrence or levels of exposure; and
an ability to control confounding factors and biases (when possible).
More complex health studies are specifically designed to test scientific hypothe-
ses about the associations between adverse health outcomes and exposure to
contaminants in the environment. Examples are (ATSDR 1996 ):
case-control studies;
cohort;
nested case-control.
The quality of these studies depends on (ATSDR 1996 ):
an ability to reasonably estimate or document individual exposures;
an ability to document or validate human health outcomes;
an adequate study size and statistical power;
an ability to identify and locate subjects and records;
availability of an appropriate control or comparison population;
an ability to control confounding factors and minimise biases; and
an ability to determine influence of environmental, behavioural, or other factors.
12.5 Dose-Response Assessment
12.5.1 Introduction
The following section uses material from the NHMRC's Toxicity Assessment
Guidelines for Carcinogenic Soil Contaminants ( 1999 ) and Klaassen ( 1996 ).
There are different ways of characterising dose response relationships including
effect levels (e.g., LD 50 ,LC 50 ,ED 10 ) and no observed adverse effect levels
(NOAELs);
margins of safety;
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