From highly sophisticated methods to simple forms, exposure characterization on and exposure assessment are used to gain a realistic valuation of exposure and risk. The Sapphire Group conducts an exposure assessment to quantify chemical concentrations from all possible exposure pathways, routes and populations. This allows our clients to prioritize future investigative efforts and eliminate the areas of low risk. Exposure assessments are key in understanding cumulative exposure, a salient issue in today’s environment which examines exposure from more than one route and/or repeated exposures to the same chemical.
Pathways – air, soil, sediment, surface and ground water,
Routes - ingestion, inhalation and skin contact,
Populations – adults, adolescents, and susceptible populations such as children and the elderly.
Pioneering the use of an avant-garde process dubbed the "decision tree", The Sapphire Group interprets the complex data sets and fills the data gaps to provide our clients conclusions as well as the context for those conclusions. Highly skilled in this health science arena, The Sapphire Group provides data design and collection, and assembles the structure of interpretive decision rules. We then support our clients with the advice and counsel required in their next phase of decision-making.
Exposure Assessments Are Used To:
- Quantify exposure and estimate risks
- Allocate resources
- Characterize the nature of environmental problems
- Determine the course of action for future investigations
- Decide on the best way to approach regulatory authorities and elected officials
- Interact with the concerned public and the media
Innovative Exposure Assessment Techniques:
- Biomagnification of chemicals
- Food chain analysis
- Specialized monitoring techniques, such as personal breathing zone analysis
- Modeling of the distribution of chemicals through environmental compartments
- Sophisticated state-of-the-art blood modeling
- Distributional (Monte Carlo) analysis of dosimetry and certainty of conclusions
