INTEGRATED EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT MONITORING

Integrated Exposure Assessment Monitoring (IEAM) is the coordination of environmental (air, water, land and crops) monitoring networks to collect systematically pollutant exposure data for a specific receptor-usually man. The basic objective of this systems approach is to provide the data required for stragegic control of critical sources of pollutants that cause major problems or threats to critical receptors. A critical receptor is that segment of the human population, or of the environment, that is most adversely affected by exposure to a pollutant. Critical sources are those that are major contributors to exposure of the critical receptors. The concept of an IEAM system was developed in order to coordinate a large amount of information about the complex relationships among pollutants, critical sources and critical receptors. This approach considers many aspects of the problem simultaneously and it defines, quantifies, and compares specific information relative to each pollutant or pollutant combinations. The IEAM system assures that monitoring measurements are directly related to the critical receptors and to critical sources. This is a systems approach for providing the required information for efficient control of such critical sources.