CONSEXPO 2: Consumer Exposure and Uptake Models

Abstract

The program and manual described in this report are aimed at exposure assessment of chemical compounds contained in consumer products. Consumer products are highly diverse, ranging from shoe polish to detergents to pesticides. All these products may contain hazardous compounds, both as active ingredients and as contaminants. Assessing exposure to these products amounts to more than measuring product concentrations. Compounds are released into air or water during use and the concentration of products may be diluted; these are factors determining the exposure. The duration of use and residence times in a room or house also determine the exposure. A mathematical modelling approach based on contact, exposure and uptake models is presented here. Each route of exposure includes a number of exposure and uptake models. The separate exposure and uptake models are connected in a general framework according to how they are selected by the user. The program allows use of stochastic parameters, including variability and uncertainty, to calculate the resulting exposure and uptake distributions, allowing any percentile whatsoever to be calculated. This program is linked to a database in which predefined exposure and uptake models for product categories will be taken up.