Subsistence Exposure Scenarios for Tribal Applications

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Risk Assessment
• Tribal Ecology

Background:

• Executive Order 12898 highlighted disproportionately high exposures for traditional subsistence lifestyles.
• Tribal communities often have intensive contact with natural resources.
• Existing exposure models may not fully capture unique tribal lifeways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present methods for developing exposure scenarios specific to tribal natural resource usage.
• To provide tools for evaluating environmental contact in the context of traditional practices.
• To support environmental cleanup and restoration efforts for tribal lands.

Main Methods:

• Development of tribal-specific exposure scenarios based on traditional lifeways.
• Standardization of direct exposure factors (inhalation, soil ingestion).
• Incorporation of unique tribal diets reflecting local ecology and practices.

Main Results:

• Established tribal exposure scenarios that account for traditional resource use patterns.
• Differentiated scenarios based on unique tribal diets and ecological contexts.
• Demonstrated the adaptability of scenarios for various applications beyond initial risk assessment.

Conclusions:

• Tribal exposure scenarios are crucial for accurately assessing environmental risks in these communities.
• These scenarios support the restoration of traditional resource use post-remediation.
• The developed methods have broader applications in environmental standard setting and climate change planning.