From the use of personal products to our consumption of food, water, and air, people are exposed to a wide array of agents each day--many with the potential to affect health. Exposure Science in the 21st Century: A Vision and A Strategy investigates the contact of humans or other organisms with those agents (that is, chemical, physical, and biologic stressors) and their fate in living systems. The concept of exposure science has been instrumental in helping us understand how stressors affect human and ecosystem health, and in efforts to prevent or reduce contact with harmful stressors. In this way exposure science has played an integral role in many areas of environmental health, and can help meet growing needs in environmental regulation, urban and ecosystem planning, and disaster management.

Exposure Science in the 21st Century: A Vision and A Strategy explains that there are increasing demands for exposure science information, for example to meet needs for data on the thousands of chemicals introduced into the market each year, and to better understand the health effects of prolonged low-level exposure to stressors. Recent advances in tools and technologies--including sensor systems, analytic methods, molecular technologies, computational tools, and bioinformatics--have provided the potential for more accurate and comprehensive exposure science data than ever before. This report also provides a roadmap to take advantage of the technologic innovations and strategic collaborations to move exposure science into the future.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE ON HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE SCIENCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
• BOARD ON ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND TOXICOLOGY
• OTHER REPORTS OF THE BOARD ON ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND TOXICOLOGY
• Preface
• Summary
  • CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
  • SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGIC ADVANCES
  • A VISION FOR EXPOSURE SCIENCE IN THE 21st CENTURY
  • REALIZING THE VISION
  • CONCLUDING REMARKS
• 1. Introduction
  • BACKGROUND
  • DEFINING THE SCOPE OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE
  • THE PAST MILLENNIA
  • OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES: THE NEW MILLENNIUM
  • ROADMAP
  • REFERENCES
• 2. A Vision for Exposure Science in the 21st Century
  • Assess and Mitigate
  • Predict and Anticipate
  • Customize Solutions
  • Engage Stakeholders
  • Enhancing Exposure Science
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Applications of Exposure Science
  • INTRODUCTION
  • EPIDEMIOLOGY
  • TOXICOLOGY
  • ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
  • ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING
  • DISASTER MANAGEMENT
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Demands for Exposure Science
  • INTRODUCTION
  • HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE DEMANDS
  • MARKET DEMANDS
  • SOCIETAL DEMANDS
  • POLICY AND REGULATORY DEMANDS
  • BUILDING CAPACITY TO MEET DEMANDS
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Scientific and Technologic Advances
  • INTRODUCTION
  • TRACKING SOURCES, CONCENTRATIONS, AND RECEPTORS WITH GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
  • UBIQUITOUS SENSING FOR INDIVIDUAL AND ECOLOGIC EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT
  • BIOMONITORING FOR ASSESSING INTERNAL EXPOSURES
  • MODELS, KNOWLEDGE, AND DECISIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 6. Promoting and Sustaining Public Trust in Exposure Science
  • PROTECTING RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS
  • PROMOTING PUBLIC TRUST
  • COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION
  • USE OF COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH
  • CHALLENGES AHEAD
  • GUIDING VALUES: THE RIGHT TO LEARN
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 7. Realizing the Vision
  • INTRODUCTION
  • THE EXPOSURE DATA LANDSCAPE
  • IMMEDIATE CHALLENGES: CHEMICAL EVALUATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT
  • IMPLEMENTING THE VISION
  • RESEARCH NEEDS
  • TRANSAGENCY COORDINATION
  • ENABLING RESOURCES
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• Appendix A Biographic Information on the Committee on Human and Environmental Exposure Science in the 21st Century
• Appendix B Statement of Task
• Appendix C Concepts and Terminology in Exposure Science

This project was supported by Contract EP-C-09-003 between the National Academy of Sciences and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project was also supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences through this contract. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.