Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
7
pubmed:dateCreated
1995-9-13
pubmed:abstractText
In this analysis, human health risk due to exposure to municipal waste incinerator emissions is assessed as an example of the application of probabilistic techniques (e.g., Monte Carlo or Latin Hypercube simulations). Incinerator risk assessments are characterized by the dominance of indirect exposure, thus this analysis focuses on exposure via the ingestion of locally grown foods. In addition, since exposure to 2,3,7,8-TCDD drives most incinerator risk assessments, this compound is the subject of the illustrative calculations. An important part of probabilistic risk assessment is determining the relative influence of the input parameters on the magnitude of the variance in the output distribution. This constitutes an important step toward prioritizing data needs for additional research. However, under various possible model forms reflecting incompletely understood aspects of contaminant transport, differences may be observed in estimates of risk, variance in risk, and the relative contributions of individual uncertain and variable inputs to the variance. In this analysis, a sequential structural decomposition of the relationships between the input variables is used to partition the variance in the output (i.e., risk) to identify the most influential contributors to overall variance among them. For comparison, the partitioning of variance is repeated, using techniques of multivariate regression. In summary, this study considers the degree to which results of a probabilistic assessment are contingent on critical model assumptions about the representation of deposition velocity. Specifically, this analysis assesses the impact on the results of uncertainty about the best model of the vapor/particle partitioning behavior of semi-volatile airborne pollutants.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jul
pubmed:issn
1096-2247
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
45
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
538-46
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1995
pubmed:articleTitle
The sensitivity of probabilistic risk assessment results to alternative model structures: a case study of municipal waste incineration.
pubmed:affiliation
Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't