Source: RISK newsletter,
Fourth Quarter 1996, published by the Society for Risk Analysis
The Residential Exposure Assessment Project (REAP), which the Society for Risk Analysis initiated in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the International Society of Exposure Analysis, with funding from the Chemical Manufacturers Association, Chemical Specialty Manufacturers Association, Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment, and the Procter & Gamble Company, is nearing completion.
More than 25 scientists have contributed to the primary product of the REAP effort, a reference textbook. The authors met in June 1996 to discuss draft chapters and the final table of contents and again on October 28-30 to facilitate completion of the text. Subject areas which the textbook addresses range from an overview of U.S. legislation relevant to products used in and around the residence, to methods for measuring or modeling potential integrated or aggregate exposures across multiple pathways and routes, to an overview of distributional data available for key residential exposure factors, such as air exchange rates.
The importance of the REAP effort has recently been
re-emphasized by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, which
requires the EPA to make a "determination of safety"
with respect to potential aggregate exposures to adults and
children that result from the use of pesticides in agricultural
and residential settings. This determination must include
consideration of anticipated dietary and all other exposures,
such as drinking water and consumer products, for which there is
reliable information. In addition, legislative activities and
scientific interest in Europe and Japan have prompted
consideration of organizing REAPs in those regions.