Non-dietary exposures

Non-dietary exposures are the amounts of substances to which individuals in a population are exposed to via any of three non-dietary routes: dermal, inhalation or oral. Non-dietary exposures are the input for the estimation of aggregate (internal) exposure distributions from both dietary and non-dietary routes of exposure. Depending on the period individuals are exposed, non-dietary exposures are short-term or acute exposure and are expressed per individual-day. When the exposure takes place over an unspecified longer time period, the exposure is long-term or chronic and is expressed as an average exposure per individual. Examples are presented as case studies in Kennedy et al. (Kennedy et al. (2012), Kennedy et al. (2015a), Kennedy et al. (2015b), Kennedy and Butler Ellis (2017)). The R-code to generate these examples is available for general use.

Datasets are typically generated by external programs, e.g. BROWSE, BREAM or PACEM. The BROWSE and BREAM2 models both simulate distributions of potential exposure of residents and bystanders to pesticides sprayed on crops. Probability distributions are included to quantify variations in input parameters representing conditions during a spray event. PACEM is a probabilistic exposure model for substances present in personal care products PCPs or house cleaning procucts HCPs. BROWSE was an EU FP7 project that, in addition to bystanders and residents from boom-sprayers, includes various arable and orchard scenarios. It includes dermal, oral and inhalation routes of exposure and generates exposure files in the correct format for MCRA non-dietary exposure calculations. The underlying simulation of dermal spray deposits on bystanders and residents was taken from BREAM, although BROWSE includes post-processing to model indirect exposures, multiple routes and long-term exposure, see Kennedy and Butler Ellis (2017). Volatilisation is also included through the PEARL-OPS model (van den Berg et al. (2016)) to account for inhalation of vapours. BREAM2 is an updated version of the original BREAM model (Kennedy et al. (2012)) and software is available online (http://www.ssau.co.uk/BREAM2-calculator). Results from BREAM had been used as part of EFSA guidance on bystander and resident exposure. BREAM2 was recently shown to produce more realistic exposure distributions, when compared to measured dermal exposure (Butler Ellis et al. (2018)). Currently, the BROWSE software is outdated and replaced by BREAM2.

This module has as primary entities: Populations Substances

Output of this module is used by: Internal exposures

Non-dietary exposures as data

Non-dietary exposures are collected in non-dietary surveys. Data may be specified on population level or individual level, and may or may not include variability and uncertainty.

Inputs used: Active substances

Settings used

Settings and Tiers

See also Combining dietary and non dietary exposures.