Framework for Assessing Non-occupational, Non-dietary (Residential) Exposure to Pesticides
Non-occupational, non-dietary exposure assessment is an important component in establishing an individual’s overall risk from pesticides. This type of assessment focuses primarily on those exposures that occur in and around the home (otherwise known as residential exposure assessment). It is important to note that exposures that occur as a result of pesticide applications in schools, parks and day care centers are included under the term “residential.” Residential exposures are “nondietary” in nature (i.e., through the skin or inhaled). The importance of non-dietary residential exposure assessment has only increased with the passage of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 and the statute’s increased emphasis on the protection of children. EPA is currently refining its assessments in order to improve overall quality and achieve more realistic exposure estimates.
This paper discusses:
- exposure basics;
- how EPA currently conducts non-dietary residential exposure assessment;
- the generally conservative nature of the Agency’s nondietary residential exposure assessment; and
- how EPA is refining non-dietary residential exposure assessments.