Use of exposure databases for status and trends analysis

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Public Health Surveillance
• Exposure Science

Background:

• Exposure databases are vital for tracking environmental health status and trends.
• Inferring human exposure or internal dose often requires supplementary data.
• Key applications include program planning, environmental health surveillance, and epidemiologic research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the adequacy of existing exposure databases for human exposure assessment.
• To identify methodological gaps in current data systems.
• To develop criteria for improving information needs in human exposure assessment.

Main Methods:

• A work group established six criteria for assessing information needs in human exposure assessment.
• These criteria were applied to evaluate six existing databases for monitoring drinking water contaminants.
• Data gaps were identified by comparing database content against the established criteria.

Main Results:

• Available databases demonstrated significant shortcomings in meeting the criteria for human exposure assessment.
• Specific deficiencies include inadequate location and facility/chemical identifiers, and poor documentation of special populations.
• Current systems lack sufficient data for monitoring changes over time and providing early warnings of emerging exposure issues.

Conclusions:

• Existing data systems inadequately measure human exposure and its trends.
• Data are insufficient for monitoring exposures in many critical population subgroups and environmental contexts.
• There is a pressing need for an "early warning" system for human exposures.
• Data system designers must prioritize the needs of users involved in monitoring human exposure status and trends.