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Exposure InvestigationsThis fact sheet was developed to provide the public with information about exposure investigations the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) conducts. It is intended to help you understand what an exposure Investigation is and how it can help you. You may have questions the fact sheet doesn't answer, or you may need more information about ATSDR and its activities. If you do, contact the office listed at the end of the fact sheet.
What is an exposure investigation?An exposure investigation is one approach ATSDR uses to develop better characterization of past, current, and possible future human exposures to hazardous substances in the environment and to evaluate existing and possible health effects related to those exposures more thoroughly.There are three main ways information is gathered during an exposure investigation:
Who conducts exposure investigations?A team of scientists with a variety of specialties in environmental sampling and computer analyses, geographic information systems, epidemiology, toxicology, and medicine is assembled to work on the investigation. The team uses information from exposure investigations and other agency resources to make public health decisions, prepare reports, and recommend appropriate public health actions.
How do we decide when to conduct an exposure investigation?The investigation team considers:(1) whether it is likely that people have been exposed to a contaminant, (2) whether we need more information on the exposure, (3) whether an exposure investigation will provide that information, and (4) whether that investigation will affect public health decisions.
Reasons for not conducting an exposure investigationThere are some situations when an exposure investigation will not give us any additional information about whether people have been exposed to contaminants in the environment. These situations may require a different approach. An example of a situation in which we would not conduct an exposure investigation would be when no amount of additional environmental or biological testing or computer modeling, will help us make better decisions.If you want to know more about ATSDR or exposure investigations, or if
you want to obtain additional information about ATSDR, please contact the person
listed below: |
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Bio-medical testing (for example, urine or blood samples) is
an important piece of information gathered and evaluated during an ATSDR
exposure investigation. Bio-medical samples can show current (and sometimes
past) exposure to a contaminant.
Environmental testing (for contamination of soil, water, or
air) is also an important piece of information gathered and evaluated during an
exposure investigation. ATSDR investigators focus environmental testing on where
people live, spend time and play, or might come in contact with contaminants
under investigation.
Exposure-dose reconstruction analyses use environmental
sampling information and computer models to estimate the contaminant levels that
people may have been exposed to in the past or may be exposed to in the future.
We can use these models to draw various conclusions. For example, how long and
at what levels a drinking water well has been contaminated. We can then use the
information to evaluate how a person's health might be affected.