Introduction

Abstract

This Source Book is intended for use by risk analysts whose experience with assessing risks in residences is limited, who want to sharpen their skills, and for advanced practitioners of risk assessment. This Source Book is a compendium of information about predictive methods and tools, monitoring methods, data sources, and key variables that characterize exposures in the residential setting. The document presents approaches for doing exposure assessments in and around all types of residences. The Source Book addresses exposure to releases from sources on the property and in the residence and agents that enter the residential environment from off site sources. It provides an overview of data on key residential exposure variables related to human physiological characteristics, activity patterns and such residential “building factors” as air exchange rates. Data for these variables are not provided as single recommended “values” or a single “recommended distributions”; or are the data presented considered be an exhaustive presentation of the results of all studies on the variables discussed. However, key references are cited, so that the user is provided with sources for more detailed information. Finally, the emphasis of the REAP effort is on North American residential environments. Thus, it is important to note that application of these data to residential environments outside North America should take into account sociological and geographical differences. A supplemental section is provided which provides sources for information relevant to residential exposure assessment in Europe and we hope that continued interest in this area will result in similar information for other countries and geographical areas.