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43008 
Book/Book Chapter 
Comprehensive definitions of exposure and dose to environmental pollution 
Duan, N; Dobbs, A; Ott, W 
1990 
Exposure and dose are two of the most important and frequently used concepts in the environmental sciences. However, there is a lack of consistency and consensus about the exact meaning of those terms. Part of the ambiguity arises because both exposure and dose take on a variety of forms. In order to clarify the issues and help alleviate the ambiguity, we propose a set of definitions which are widely applicable, and have a consistent logical structure. Generically, exposure is the contact of a target with a pollutant. Dose is the penetration of the pollutant inside or outside the target. In order to obtain precise definitions of exposure and dose, we need to specify the time frame and five auxiliary parameters: target, pollutant, medium, route, and contact surface. This paper builds on the generic concepts described above, and proposes detailed definitions for various forms of exposure and doses, including instantaneous exposure, exposure profile, peak exposure, integrated exposure, average exposure, and analogous definitions for dose. We also discuss the relationship between exposure and dose. 
In: Proceedings of the EPA/A&WMA specialty conference on total exposure assessment methodology; November; Las Vegas, NV. Pittsburgh, PA: Air & Waste Management Association; pp. 166-195. (A&WMA publication VIP-16).