Background
From collaboration fostered by the Network for Industrially Contaminated Land in Europe, the Exposure Factors
Sourcebook for European Populations (with Focus on UK Data), European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology
of Chemicals (ECETOC) Technical Report No. 79 is nearing publication. This Sourcebook was developed to provide
information on key exposure determinants relevant to assessing risks to human health resulting from contaminated
land. The Sourcebook included distributional data for key determinants in order that this would enable better estimates
of actual exposure to be derived, for example, by providing an improved basis for Monte Carlo simulations. One
particular value of the existing Sourcebook is that a quality assessment and assurance stage was incorporated into the
process of information acquisition before the data was incorporated into the Sourcebook. However, the sources of
exposure information used within the Sourcebook were confined to those available from within the United Kingdom
(UK). A copy of the Sourcebook may be obtained by contacting ECETOC at info@ecetoc.org or ordering it at
www.ecetoc.org/entry.htm, clicking on Activities and then Publications.
Objectives
Proposal
Proposals are requested to extend the data, utilizing as a framework the exposure determinants identified within the existing Sourcebook, to cover Europe, including EU and non-EU countries. It is anticipated that the project would address the following elements:
- An assessment of whether the exposure determinants contained within the existing Sourcebook continue to be appropriate for the determination of human exposures to chemical substances arising from industrially contaminated land.
- Obtaining and displaying exposure information covering the determinants for the major geographical and socioeconomic areas of Europe. As the data varies significantly, this stage will demand an appropriate analysis and depiction of data.
- Implementation of suitable quality assurance arrangements thus ensuring that reference data is representative, reliable and of sufficient quality.
- Ensuring accessibility of the European Sourcebook to a wide range of stakeholders. Innovative ideas are encouraged and particular emphasis will be placed upon the ability to obtain information from relevant sources not directly included in the contents of the European Sourcebook.
Scope
Other Considerations
Because of the diverse nature of the sources of information that will be required for this project, partnership
applications are encouraged. At the completion of the project, it is expected that a report will also be submitted
outlining how the European Sourcebook might be extended to cover situations of major public concern where exposure
to chemicals present a potential risk to health. Because the value of exposure information relies on its being current,
there will be a need for the selected contractor to demonstrate capability to make a commitment to the ongoing
maintenance of the European Sourcebook. Depending on the findings and LRI programme priorities, the LRI
Monitoring Team (MT) will consider the authorization of annual maintenance updates. Maintenance responsibilities
would include ensuring that the data remains current and may involve revising the structure of the Sourcebook in
response to Stakeholder comment.
