1. Which method is most appropriate for assessing exposure?

2. Exposure can be assessed using indicator-based methods, such as creating buffer zones around a potential source of pollution.
This technique is often used where only the source of the pollutant is known and no other data exist.
Pollution source

3. Where emissions data exist, exposure can be assessed using dispersion models that simulate the transport of pollutants in the environment.
Wind
direction

4. Exposure can also be assessed by interpolating environmental monitoring data
Air quality monitoring site

5. Micro-environmental (micro-media) monitoring can be used to monitor pollutants in particular buildings or sites.
Monitoring sites are chosen based on the daily activity patterns of the population at risk.
School
Homes of children at risk
Air quality monitoring site

6. A personal monitoring approach to assessing exposure often involves a sample of individuals at risk carrying portable monitoring devices
School
Child at risk X
Portable monitoring device
X 7am
X 8am
X 11am
X 9, 10am

7. Which method is best for assessing exposure?
For a given individual, personal monitoring is likely to provide a better estimate of exposure than the other methods.
However, there are problems in scaling up the results of micro-media and personal monitoring from individuals to populations.
It is often also difficult to assess long-term exposure using personal and micro-media monitoring.
Low
Indicator-based
methods
Dispersion models
Accuracy of
exposure
for an
individual
Ambient pollution
monitoring
Micro-media
monitoring
Personal
monitoring
High