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Cumulative Risks - Community Risks
When considering multiple stressors and their location of occurrence and contact, increased risk may be shared among groups of individuals or within a community. For example, where a community is located will determine the sources, routes, pathways, and magnitude of chemical exposures. Community norms and practices may influence the activity patterns and dietary habits that will determine the way individuals come in contact with contaminated media. Finally, a "community" may be defined by other stressors that could impact risk, including socioeconomic status, cultural behavior, access to healthcare, and educational level. Focusing cumulative risk research on chemical mixtures, the individual, and the community, a multidimensional and dynamic classification defined by geographical and or demographical attributes that are common among the group, provides a rational starting point for developing, evaluating, and applying cumulative risk tools. NERL's cumulative exposure/community risk research is being designed to help ORD determine how best to evaluate cumulative risk at the community level by answering the following questions:
- What exposure assessment tools are necessary for community-based risk assessments?
- How can exposure assessment tools be applied for community-based risk assessments?