Modelling Human Exposure to Chemicals in Food

摘要

It should be realized that protection of the average individual is in itself nota very satisfactory end point. In an extreme situation, protection of the average individual may leave 50% of the population unprotected. One way to approach this objection is to complement the estimated intake of the average individual with that of the 'maximum exposed individual' (MEI). For risk-management purposes it would be highly valuable to know what percentage of the population exceeds the ADI or TDI or any other intake value considered relevant. The MEI approach does not allow for such calculations. This report discusses a statistical exposure model (STEM) aimed at a succinct description of intakes for the human population as a whole. It applies to all foodborne chemicals having long-term effects, so that short-term (daily) fluctuations in intake may be ignored. The model will be illustrated by applying it to dioxin and cadmium exposure of the Dutch population.