US EPA

658849 

Journal Article 

Regional relationships between toxin releases, and environmental and human exposure to toxic substances 

Phillips, LJ 

1992 

Yes 

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
ISSN: 0007-4861
EISSN: 1432-0800 

48 

6 

795-802 

English 

1568055 

10.1007/BF00201137 

WOS:A1992HQ24300002 

Human and environmental exposures to toxic substances may be evaluated by direct measurement (i.e., monitoring data), or by using surrogate measures (i.e., release data). The usefulness of surrogate measures is dependant upon their reliability as indicators of actual human exposure. The release of toxic substances into the environment may result in human and environmental exposures. Therefore, the recent creation of the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data base may provide suitable surrogate measures of regional human and environmental exposure. However, the reliability of these data as indicators of regional exposure has not been adequately tested.

Previous studies using existing national monitoring data from the National Human Adipose Tissue Survey (NHATS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) STORET data base have demonstrated that regional differences in human and environmental exposures exist (Phillips and Birchard 1991a, 1991b). Regional correlations between NHATS and STORET data have a/so been observed (Phillips, 1991 ). In this study, regional relationships between the quantity of toxic substances released into the environment, and the magnitude of human and environmental exposures were evaluated using TRI data in conjunction with NHATS and STORET data. The results of this study provide: 1) a comprehensive assessment of regional correlations between the amount of toxics released via various emission pathways, and the levels of human exposure and environmental contamination; and 2) an evaluation of the reliability of toxic release data for predicting exposures. 

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